HERO JAY TIERMAN SPARED JAIL, BUT FACES HORRENDOUS COSTS!One
thing is certain, future generations will look upon the likes of Jay Tierman and view them as heroes. In
my view this government are the criminals because they went ahead with a disatrous cull that not only caused untold
pain and misery to thousands of badgers but also flew in the face of science. I have every sympathy with Jay
- he is clearly a caring man who obviously craves a world free of deliberate animal cruelty. We should all be
trying to create a better world for all beings, not just humans, that share our planet but instead our leaders
put their own ignorant, blinkered short sighted policies, before what is right. Justice and compassion are
alien concepts to most politicians. If you ever needed prroof that we are still living in the dark ages, then
this is it! Terribly sad!.I for one will buy Jay's ebook when its written and
I hope others will do the same.

Good luck Jay.

Anti-badger-cull-leader-given-month-sentence

The leader of the anti-badger
cull activists in Somerset has been handed a six-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay £25,000 by the High
Court.

Jay Tiernan, a spokesman for The Coalition of Badger Action Groups, (CBAG) was found to be in contempt of court after
nine breaches of an injunction aimed at preventing interference with the free shooting trials.

The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) which controversially
brought the injunction ahead of the first culls in August 2013, said the ruling “sends a clear message” that preventing
“legal and licensed activity” as part of a Government policy to help deal with bovine TB will not be tolerated.

Mr Tiernan,
who co-ordinated and oversaw night-time patrols at Camp Badger, outside Taunton, called the judgement a “breach of Human
Rights” and said he planned to write an e-book documenting the culls to raise money to pay the NFU's legal costs,
which he said were £65,000.

Jailing Tiernan for six months suspended for two years in London today, the judge, Sir David Eady, said that the
proposed cull was undoubtedly controversial but a challenge to its legality had been rejected by the courts.

He said that
Tiernan, who had chosen to represent himself in the litigation was a man of good character.

The breaches did not involve any violence or damage to property
and Tiernan had apologised in court to those concerned.

“On the other hand, the breaches were clearly deliberate
and defiant of the court’s orders of the time,” said the judge.

One breach – that of failing to notify activists of the terms of the order - was still continuing,
he added.

“The offences certainly reach the custody threshold, but there is room for the intermediate step
of suspending the sentence.”

The breaches involved failing to notify members of CBAG by way of the listed websites, harassing protected persons
by filming and trespassing, posting films on the internet, entering land within the cull zone, making excessive noise within
the zone, and demonstrating within 25m of business premises occupied by the NFU.

In a statement, the NFU said the sentence
handed out showed the injunction “has teeth”.

President Meurig Raymond added: “We recognise that the badger cull is controversial and we have
never sought to stop lawful protest but we cannot condone actions designed to harass, intimidate and threaten farmers and
others protected by the injunction who are doing nothing illegal.

“That is why we applied for the injunction
in the first place, and why we felt compelled to bring these proceedings against Mr Tiernan for breaching the terms of the
injunction.

“Today’s
finding sends a clear message that this kind of behaviour against people carrying out a legal and licensed activity as part
of a Government policy to help deal with bovine TB will not be tolerated.”

Mr Tiernan told the Western Morning News
the decision was “a breach of my human rights – I have not had the opportunity to be judged by a jury.

“It is completely wrong for people
to talk about freedom of speech as we do not have it in this country,” he added.

“This has been created
to try to get me to shut up so I am going to use this to highlight the criminality which I believe continues with the badger
culls.

“I
am planning to write and e-book about my experiences since 2012 and I am going to crowd-fund it to raise money to pay the
cost."

Badger baiting trial sees Merseyside men spared jail IT
IS A DISGRACE THAT THESE VILE MEN WERE SPARED JAIL AND LET OFF WITHOUT A FINE! BUT WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT IN RED NECK NORTH
WALES.Jan 13, 2015

Pair were among gang of five spotted at badger sett in North Wales

Two Merseyside men who were caught trying to take a badger at an isolated North Wales location have been spared jail.

William Chrystal, 24, of Milestone Road and Leighton David Shiers, 19, of Melling Way, both Kirkby,
admitted attempting to take, kill or injure a badger, and digging for a badger, at Trelawnyd near Holywell, on April 26 last
year.

A gang of five – wearing camouflage clothing and head torches – scattered when police crept up
on the sett late at night after being alerted by a concerned dog walker and only Chrystal and Shiers were caught.

This afternoon at Flintshire magistrates’ court at Mold, District Judge Gwyn Jones said it
was “a sophisticated and well planned venture to attack a badger sett”. I CALL IT BARBARIC
MR JONES!The gang had travelled some distance from their homes in a vehicle fit for cross-country
use and he said that the sett was in an extremely rural location and it would have required extensive knowledge of badgers
and their habits to find them.

He said it was clear from the photographs found on Chrystal’s phone that he
had an unhealthy interest in causing damage to badgers.

The court heard that dogs with tracking devises attached
to their collars had been used to locate badgers underground and a determined attempt had been made to dig down to the sett.

Prosecutor Peter Humphrey-Jones said the incident had happened in April when there would be young badgers in the sett
and if successful they would have been taken to sell on for baiting or used to train young terriers to attack badgers.

Mr Humphrey-Jones said: “The ultimate intention was to take a badger from the sett.”

He said
Chrystal knew what he was up despite his claim to have a limited involvement.

Incriminating
photographs had been found on his mobile phone including a badger dig taking place, and there was a photograph of an animal
being torn apart.

There was also a photograph of a young badger in a domestic setting, on a bed
in someone’s house.

Andy Egerton, defending, said the gang had come to North Wales after being invited to
shoot vermin – but they were not aware that they would be hunting for badgers until they arrived.

He said
they remained when they accepted that they should have walked away.

He said the defendants, who were deeply sorry
and ashamed, did not own any of the equipment seized.

He said: “They will never be involved in any type of
hunting, legal or illegal, in the future. Enough is enough.”

He said Shiers was a young man of no convictions
who was working as a barman, while Chrystal was a single parent and sole carer for his two children aged five and two. SO WHO LOOKED AFTER HIS KIDS WHILE HE WAS OUT TORTURING ANIMALS?Sgt Rob Taylor, manager
of North Wales Police rural crime team, said that thankfully such brutal and barbaric offences were rare.NOT RARE! LOT'S OF TERRIER & LURCHER THUGS HERE, THEY JUST RARELY GET CAUGHT BY THE POLICE!!!THESE CONVICTED MEN NEVER NAMED THEIR THREE ACCOMPLICES EITHER SO SHOULDHAVE BEEN GIVEN THE STIFFEST PENALTIES JUST FOR WITHHOLDING INFORMATION.Judge Jones imposed a 12 month community order with 160 hours unpaid work and ordered
that all the equipment seized should be destroyed. The defendants were also ordered to pay £360 costs. A deprivation
order was made in respect of the Land Rover which the gang used.THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN
GIVEN THE MAXIMUM SIX MONTH JAIL TERM FOR THE SUFFERING THEY IMPOSED ON BADGERS AND DOGS AND PROSECUTED FOR TAKING A
LIVE ANIMAL, SEEN ON THEIR PHONE! THEY SHOULD ALSO HAVE BEEN GIVEN A FINE OF £5,000 EACH. DID
THEY GET BANNED FROM KEEPING DOGS FOR LIFE? NO, BUT THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN! GWYN JONES BASICALLY LET THEM
OFF!!! THERE WAS NO JUSTICE FOR THOSE DOGS OR THE BADGERS THAT HAVE SUFFERED DREADFULLY AT THE HANDS OF THESE
AWFUL PEOPLE.WE NEED JUDGES WHO TAKE A DIM VIEW OF ANIMAL CRUELTY AND UNTIL WE DO THESE MONSTROUS MEN WILL CONTINUE
TO CAUSE UNTOLD SUFFERING TO ANY ANIMAL THEY COME ACROSS.

Well done you guys - I'm sure most people will not believe the farmers wife, I don't! I've never
known a pro hunt, pro cull farmer yet to be 100% honest. At least that's been my experience here with pro hunt supporters
in North Wales - excellent liars the lot of them.

Just because you dress with a skull on your back doesn't mean
you are not an angel - you are all angels to those poor animals. At least the police let you go no doubt because they
had nothing they could charge you with. That said if this had happened in North Wales the police here would have found something
to charge you with even if that evidence was as fragile as tissue paper. Some police here are as pro-hunt as they come
and they have proved it to me.

Good luck you anti-cull guys - hope you beat this disgusting killing programme.
I would be with you but I have my own battle to fight here in North Wales against a nasty spiteful hunt and it's not going
to be easy in this pro-hunt area of Denbighshire.

26 August 2014

A target number of badgers to be killed
in this year's pilot cull has been announced.

Authorisation letters for the cull have been
issued by Natural England. A minimum of 615 in Gloucestershire and 316 in Somerset need to be killed.

In 2013, 921 badgers were killed in Gloucestershire and 940 in Somerset in a bid to tackle TB in cattle.

The companies carrying out the cull have not announced when it will start this year.

A maximum number of badgers
that can be culled this year has been set at 1,091 in Gloucestershire and 785 in Somerset.

Original population
estimates for badgers in Gloucestershire have now been revised by The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
to 1,904 in Gloucestershire and 1,876 in Somerset.

The four-year pilot cull aims to kill 70% of the initial population
to test how effective, humane and safe a cull can be.

An extension to the cull in 2013 in Gloucestershire was ended
early as it had not met its target, and the Somerset pilot failed to meet its target even after a three-week extension.

Government ministers and the National Farmers' Union believe culling badgers will curb TB in cattle. Opponents
say shooting the animals is not effective and inhumane.

Carry on Culling - the fiasco continues

Lesley Docksey

28th July 2014

'We need to look at the best scientific evidence' on badgers and bovine
TB, says Environment Secretary Liz Truss. But as Lesley Docksey writes, the 'best scientific evidence' appears to
mean only that which supports the cull - and there's precious little of it!

All those vets who remember why they went to vet
school in the first place should stand up against this travesty.

While all
green, wildlife and environmental activists - "the green blob" as Owen Paterson so crudely named us - were glad to see the back of him, we mostly took a 'wait and see' attitude to his successor Liz
Truss.

Wisely so as it turned out. It only took the new Environment Secretary 24 hours to stand up in Parliament and announce that the badger culls would continue. She used exactly the same script as Owen Paterson too:

"The reality is that bovine TB represents a massive threat to our dairy and beef industries";
(though not nearly as damaging to the much greater number of cattle that suffer pain and get slaughtered before their time
due to lameness and mastitis, Ms Truss)

"We must use every tool in our toolbox to address
this threat to our beef and dairy industries."

And, of course, "no country
has ever eradicated TB without also tackling the reservoir of the disease in the wildlife population".

She also said: "We need to look at the best scientific evidence." Well - quite.

In the last three weeks the Environment Secretary's office would have seen ...

A
letter signed by 19 vets and published in the Veterinary Record on 27 June stating that Defra's policy of killing
badgers is "seriously flawed". This letter is well worth a read - the vets don't miss a single scientific
trick, and none of it would make welcome reading for the pro-cull lobby.

A very detailed report
was published on 2 July in Nature titled "A dynamic model of bovine tuberculosis spread and control in Great Britain", the
conclusions of which were:

"Very few of the control options tested have the potential
to reverse the observed annual increase, with only intensive strategies such as whole-herd culling or additional national
testing proving highly effective."

One of the results of the study was that it highlighted
the transmission of bTB through cattle movement, something that the NFU and farmers immediately rejected, cattle movement
around the country and import/export movement being a major part of the economics (money-making) of the cattle industry.

As co-author of the Nature paper Matt Keeling wrote in The Ecologist, the model predicted a "limited effect" from focusing on environmental factors. "Even
with a 50% fall in the between farm transmission of infection due to the environment (simulating a substantial badger cull,
for example), the rise in cattle infections over six years continues, although at a slower rate."

Or as The Guardianreported, Robbie MacDonald from the University of Exeter said "The model is unprecedented in its scale, realism
and approach", adding that the model showed cutting transmission from the environment, such as badgers, "is
likely to yield unimpressive results and contribute little biologically to controlling a national epidemic."

Professor Rosie Woodruffe's opinion was that "This paper predicts that controlling TB in the short and
medium term would be more effectively achieved by management targeted at cattle."

Lord
Krebs said that the report gave further support to the view that culling badgers was not an effective strategy. "It
is to be hoped that Defra takes on board this latest piece of scientific evidence." Vain hope.

Bovine TB is at its lowest rate for 11 years

And on 12 July, Defra published
the latest figures for bTB. Not good news - not for the NFU and the culling contractors, that is.

Last
year's culls would have had no effect as yet on the TB statistics but the figures show that the incidence of TB is still
falling, even if only by small amounts per month. And as the Badger Trust reported:

"Most importantly, and confirmed by Defra in a tweet, the incidence
rate for April is at 3.1% - the lowest single monthly incidence rate since Aug 2003."

On
top of all that, some members of the Independent Expert Panel complained that they had "been ignored".
No attempt had been made by Owen Paterson to meet them after the publication of their report. Well, he wouldn't want to,
seeing they had judged the culls to have been a failure.

And the Western Morning News commented, "Farmers in the Westcountry have spoken at their deep frustration at the role of scientists
in the process, who they said were now 'playing politics'."

But people like
science only when it backs what they believe, and science doesn't back culling.

One would
think that Ms Truss has enough 'scientific evidence' sitting on her desk, but as ever Defra and the NFU are going
to rubbish science in favour of killing our wildlife. And those who do have a scientific base and should care about animal
welfare have again toed Defra's line and given a weak-kneed backing to the next stage of the badger culls.

The BVA climbs off its fence

On 24 July the British Veterinary Association came
off the fence they have been perched uncomfortably on for some time and issued a statement saying they now support further culling - even though Defra is not meeting the conditions they initially demanded.
Vet & HSI UK Director Mark Jones says:

"The BVA's support for another badger
cull this year, after last year's disastrous pilot culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset, is bitterly disappointing for
all those vets like myself who believe that animal welfare must be the cornerstone of all we stand for.

"BVA endorsement should symbolise integrity and the highest possible standards of animal care. Instead, it is
being given away based on little more than Defra's flimsy promises of improved monitoring and half-baked measures on humaneness.

"The BVA does not speak for all vets in wanting to subject England's badgers to another round of unjustified,
unscientific and unethical slaughter, but its support for a cull does paint our profession in a bad light.

"The BVA's determination to see badgers killed also flies squarely in the face of evidence from Wales. In
March 2012, the then BVA president Carl Padgett declared that the Welsh Government's decision to abandon badger culling would set back efforts to tackle bovine
TB. How wrong he was.

"While a badger cull-free Wales has seen TB in cattle reduced
in leaps and bounds, here in England we're set for another round of badger persecution whilst the number of cattle slaughtered
remains more-or-less constant. The BVA was wrong about the Welsh decision in 2012. It's wrong again now.

"It fills me with sadness that badgers are going to suffer and die again this year for no good reason, with
the British Veterinary Association's stamp of approval. Whatever government ministers might want to do in order to satisfy
their political whims, those who purport to represent the veterinary profession should be the ones to urge caution, and when
it comes to animal suffering, to say enough is enough.

"All those vets who remember
why they went to vet school in the first place should stand up against this travesty."

Liz
Truss, take note: the fight to save our badgers from this needless and inhumane slaughter will go on.

WAAC says - A TRUSS you cannot trust!!

Badger
cull figures 'counted unfairly'

Defra accused of downplaying results of scheme so it can bring in longer killing periods in the future

Trials in Somerset and Gloucestershire
were set up to test whether the cull was safe, effective and human, and were intended to last six weeks. The Gloucestershire
trial was extended to 11 weeks and the Somerset pilot to nine weeks after marksmen killed far fewer badgers than expected.

Farming minister George Eustice
admitted last week in response to a question from Green MP Caroline Lucas that the Independent Expert Panel set up to assess
the cull would only study the original six-week period. A government spokesman said the decision had the full support of the
panel. But sources close to the panel suggest there were concerns about limiting its scope of inquiry.

One source said
the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) was being "incredibly disingenuous" by claiming
the panel was consulted about whether it wanted to consider the extensions, arguing that "of course" it would be
better to look at the entire period. A second source also disputed the idea that the issue had been thoroughly discussed and
agreed by the panel.

Other experts said that analysing barely half of the trials could provide misleading conclusions.
The results of a cull can vary over time, depending on the weather, the number of hours of darkness and the extent to which
badgers from other areas colonise gaps left by the killings.

Professor Rosie Woodroffe, a biologist and member of a
team that conducted an earlier decade-long trial of badger culling, said: "Why wouldn't you want to look at the whole
period? It seems to be a no-brainer to me."

Professor Sir Patrick Bateson, of Cambridge University and the Zoological
Society of London, added: "Why don't they use the whole data set? It's almost as if they have something to hide."

Caroline
Lucas argued that Defra was manipulating the studies. She said: "Curtailing independent scrutiny of the cull is an underhand
move to push for longer culls. If the panel concludes that culling was not effective, Defra can argue that longer culls are
necessary in the future." Many scientists oppose longer culls, which they argue give badgers more time to flee, so spreading
the bovine tuberculosis the cull is intended to tackle to new areas.

A Defra spokesman insisted the decision to examine
only the first six weeks would have no bearing on whether the cull was extended to new areas, and under what terms. However,
he conceded that extending the cull length beyond six weeks was one option if the programme was extended to new areas.

The
panel is expected to present its findings to Mr Paterson in the next few weeks. His original plan was to carry out 40 culls
across the UK in the next four years, although that may change or be cancelled as a result of the panel report. Even after
the extensions, neither cull met its target of killing 70 per cent of local badgers.

WAAC
- The sooner we get rid of this hideously corrupt Government the better!!! Judi

1st July 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Government advisors support Badger Trust
High Court legal challenge

The Badger Trust has been granted permission by a judge
for a JudicialReview challenge in the High Court against the DEFRA Secretary ofState Owen Paterson and Natural
England. The test case focuses on theGovernment’s highly controversial badger cull policy.

The Judicial
Review will argue that Owen Paterson and Natural Englandhave failed to put in place any Independent Expert Panel for
theplanned culling of badgers in Gloucestershire and Somerset in 2014.The Trust contends such a Panel is needed
to oversee the design ofdata collection, its analysis and interpretation. Without this, therecan be no proper
assessment of the safety, effectiveness andhumaneness of the culling operation, something that would be neededbefore
any lawful decision to continue with further culls around thecountry.

The Badger Trust legal challenge has
received strong support from somemembers of the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) set up by the Governmentto monitor
the safety, effectiveness and humaneness of the badgerculls carried out in 2013.

“The Independent Expert Panel’s report
states clearly the rationalefor ensuring that independent monitoring and the use of thestatistically robust sample
sizes and analytical methods, as used inthe 2013 culls, are followed in further culling exercises. If thisscientific
advice is ignored then the data collected during theproposed 2014 culls will be insufficiently reliable for assessment
ofhumaneness and effectiveness. This means that farmers, veterinariansand scientists intimately involved in controlling
bovine TB will bedenied the information necessary to allow them to assess whether theIEP’s recommended changes
to the culling process have corrected thefailings identified by the pilot culls.”

"Owen Paterson has done all he can to prevent this Judicial Reviewcase going to the High Court and he has failed. His refusal to put inplace any independent monitoring of the badger
culls due to take placein Gloucestershire and Somerset over the next few months against theadvice of the Independent
Expert Panel he set up is a nationaldisgrace.

“The caring compassionate British public will not remain
silent,whilst poorly trained NFU contract gunmen move through our countrysideat night shooting badgers with rifles
and shotguns without anyindependent monitoring or scrutiny. We know from last year’s cullsthat many badgers
were wounded and suffered long painful deaths in adisastrous operation, which proved a complete and utter failure onscientific, economic and humaneness grounds.

“I am very pleased to see that we have strong support from
somemembers of the Independent Expert Panel and I look forward to joiningProfessor Tim Coulson in Parliament on
Monday 7 July, when we willbrief MP's from all parties on why we believe they should also givetheir support
to the Badger Trust legal challenge.

“I also call again on the British Veterinary Association to showanimal welfare and humaneness is their number one priority bysupporting the Badger Trust in the High Court.”

Brian May could buy £7MILLION estate to protect badgers from controversial cull

BRIAN May could be
set to buy a £7 million estate in a bid to stop the badger controversial cull.

Related articles

"Our land agent is doing a report on it and we will be looking at everything about the estate and whether
we can make it a long-term on-going conservation project.

"We are frequently looking at parcels of land and this one came up and our land agent contacted us and I said
yes definitely look at it and give us a report.

"We are also looking to buy property in Devon."

Save
Me now has five land holdings country wide, including two separate reserves near Tolpuddle and near Bere Regis in Dorset,
and another near Manchester.

Queen guitarist May, who is thought to be worth around £95m, is a long-time opponent
of the badger culls, and has launched a Badger and Cattle Vaccination Initiative project.

Badgers are being vaccinated at a cost of £120 per badger - compared with the
£4,200 cost per head that was spent during the culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire last year.

Gloucester Citizen19.4.14 Hundreds rally in Gloucester for anti-badger cull protest
- HUNDREDS of badger cull protesters from around the UK have rallied in Gloucester Park to warn that their campaign this year
will be bigger and bolder. Jeanne Berry, founder of Gloucestershire Against Badgers, said: 'Our message is loud and clear -
we are going to be bigger and bolder and we are going to have a clear strategy. Dominic Dyer, from Care for the Wild, was
one of several speakers at the event which attracted up to 300 people. Sam Swift, who is originally from Gloucester but now
lives in West Wales, donned a giant badger outfit for the protest....(story)

Western Daily Press25.4.14 Badger culls throw lifeline to hedgehogs - Hedgehog
numbers more than double in some areas where there has been a badger cull, claims a report by West-based scientists. Researchers
carried out a ten-year study to find out if the number of hedgehogs increased when one of their main predators was removed.
They concluded that the badger cull had a "significant effect" and hedgehog numbers actually went up by twice as
much as in areas where no cull was carried out...(story)

The Ecologist 24-4-14 Should
we cull our badgers to save our hedgehogs? New scientific research shows that culling badgers can increase local
hedgehog numbers. As UK hedgehog populations continue to decline, Hugh Warwick asks - are badgers to blame? Or does the real
problem lie elsewhere? Does this study strengthen the case for the badger cull? The only way to think that is - deliberately
or otherwise - to misinterpret ecological science.So what's the truth? Should we really be culling badgers to save our
hedgehogs? Well, the simple answer is ... it's complicated - but no, we should not.... The real problem is not badgers,
but humans. To 'blame' badgers is simply wrongheaded. We have created an environment that is currently favouring badgers.
And it is all too easy to slip into the foolish belief that we must deal with the badgers rather than the system.... [story]

Stroud News 24-4-14 Badger demo comes to home of Princess Anne A RETIRED policeman
who was infuriated by Princess Anne’s call for the gassing of badgers is to lead a protest demo outside her Gatcombe
Park estate which he has dubbed ‘Gascombe Park.’ Since retiring, Ray Egan has become a modern-day John Bull –
dressing in red tailed jacket, white breeches and a Union Jack waistcoat to champion causes he believes in. At the weekend
he joined an anti-badger cull protest rally and march in Gloucestershire where the government has announced a second year
of culling. "I was incensed by what Princess Anne said on Countryfile," said Mr Egan, from Birmingham. "I am
now organising a protest outside Gatcombe Park in two weeks time to let her know how people feel about her ill-informed comments.
"As well as serving as a police officer I have also worked in the agriculture industry, specifically cattle, and I do
not believe badgers pass TB to cows... [story]

SPITEFUL PATTERSON IGNORES COMMONS VOTE.

March 2014

Spiteful
fox hunting minister Owen Patterson ignored a commons cross party vote that would have ended the killing of badgers. Instead
this fascist has given the green light to gun toting badger baiters, fox hunters and other gun happy people to murder more
badgers. Badgers that do not die quickly because of their physiology and therefore suffer greatly after being shot. The last
culls served only to prove how futile killing was and how inhumane.

Btb has been steadily going
down in Wales mostly due to better bio security. Inoculating badgers is the best way of controlling the disease in badgers.
But the only sure fire of protecting cattle from this disease is to stop intensive farming and also to inoculate cattle. I
have seen many filthy, damp cattle sheds during many of my hill walks and I've seen the misery on the faces of countless
dairy cows as they slowly and painfully trudge from the fields and into the cow sheds for milking. This is a farming disease
that has little to do with badgers. When the immune systems of both people and animals are compromised then deadly diseases
such as TB can take hold. Badgers too are victim of intensive farming because their habitat is compromised by being drained
of nutrients. A healthy farm means healthy cattle and healthy badgers.

Vaccinate, NOT exterminate
should be the ruling.

Judi

We’re delighted at Westminster vote to stop the badger cullPosted
on 13/03/2014 by RSPCA

We are delighted MPs have at last seen sense and voted overwhelmingly to stop the roll
out of the pilot badger culls.

The animal welfare charity has always maintained the badger cull was not just inhumane
but would also be an ineffective way of controlling the spread of bovine TB.

Roll out of the scheme would have
been a farce

It has been reported that the Independent Expert Panel findings show that the pilot culls in Somerset
and Gloucestershire were inhumane and ineffective.

Plans for any further roll out of the scheme would be a complete
farce, just like the pilot culls themselves.

RSPCA head of public affairs David Bowles said:

“We
are delighted the MPs have listened to the advice of the experts and voted overwhelmingly to abandon the badger cull.

“The Secretary of State Owen Paterson now has to listen to the voice of Parliament and discard any plans to roll the
cull out further. Any decision to continue would be flying in the face of scientists, public opinion and of elected MPs. The
government should now commit to a full debate on government time.

“More than 1,800 badgers were slaughtered
last year as part of the government’s misguided badger culling policy and it is estimated as many as 100,000 will be
under threat if it insists on going ahead with rolling out the cull.

“The RSPCA, alongside many other organisations,
has always maintained the methods used in the cull would not be humane and that culling is not the answer to effectively controlling
bovine TB.

“We firmly believe that the use of vaccination along with improved biosecurity will lead to a
decrease in new cases of bovine TB, as it has in Wales and both farmers and wildlife campaigners can move forward in tackling
this disease together.”

There will be a
Cross Party Debate on the badger cull on Wednesday 11th December 2013, from 2.30 to 4.00 p.m. in Westminster Hall. The
debate will be led by Chris Williamson, Labour MP for Derby North since 2010.

It is essential to encourage as many
MP’s as possible to attend the debate. Please help by e-mailing your MP now, to draw their attention to the debate
and to ask them to attend in order to represent your views as one of their constituents. The sooner you send your e-mail,
the greater the likelihood that Members will be able to make time to be there.

Thank you in anticipation of your
cooperation.

Best wishes,Pat Hayden.

SEE LATEST NEWS ON THE FOLLOWING SITE,Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting! Can 'you' help spread the word?

Thrifty Car Rental Badger Cull Vehicle Rentals, owned by Hertz

By Stop The Cull

The people who patrol the lanes of the cull zones couldn’t do it without changing their vehicles frequently,
this is where Thrifty are only to happy to oblige. Thrifty ask their customers what they will be using their vehicles for,
so they are well aware that they are renting to the killers.

This cage will have been carried along the lanes and roads
in the back of their vehicle and so would the mercenary with a shotgun who would have killed the badger had an activist not
released it.

We call on all people of a compassionate nature to boycott this company and if you do hire from Thrifty or Hertz remember
the money you give them goes towards buying in their new fleet, a fleet that may well be used next year to carry tens of thousands
of dead badgers from cull zones to incinerators.

We look forward to hearing how Thrifty are decontaminating their vehicles
after badger cull killers have used them, as we have already found that the killers don’t have very good bio-security habits one of the rules no one has seen enforced is:

No doubt Hertz and Thrifty Cars don’t mind their other customers being potential carriers of a disease as they
have signed their fleet up to a government sponsored disease reduction program.

We will ensure as many people globally
find out about your dealings with the badger cull as is possible,

Badgers have friends & those friends are angry…

.

The care hire company who hire out the vehicles for the badger cullers on
a weekly basis, have just withdrawn their vehicles as of now. They were hired through the NFU who didnt tell the company
what it was for, so the company has made a statement that it does not want to be involved in the cull.

So they won't have their trucks tonight.

Denise

Thanks for the info Denise.
Judi

PLEASE SIGN PETITION AND CIRCULATE AS WIDELY
AS POSSIBLE

-----Original Message-----Subject: The National Trust: Dismiss Chairman Simon Jenkins due to recent overturning of National
Trust Members' popular vote to prohibit badger culling on National Trust land.

I just signed the petition "The National Trust: Dismiss Chairman Simon Jenkins due to recent overturning
of National Trust Members' popular vote to prohibit badger culling on National Trust land." and wanted to see if
you could help by adding your name.

Our goal is to reach 1,500 signatures and
we need more support. You can read more and sign the petition here:

BBC News 27-10-13 National Trust members have
voted against a motion calling for badger culling to be banned on its land. Members had suggested using a vaccination programme to help tackle bovine TB. The vote was taken in anticipation of a widespread cull which could roll out following the results of pilot culls
in Gloucestershire and Somerset. Charity trustees said the vote against the motion
did not mean the trust was in favour of culling badgers. In a statement it said: "We
are in favour of doing what works to solve the problem that is affecting so many of our tenants and farmers. Vaccination is our long-term preference, but may prove costly and hard to administer in practice."
[story]

A slightly different take on the NT's position from ITV News.....

ITV News 27-10-13 National Trust debates the
badger cull - The National Trust will not allow the culling
of badgers to take place on its land for the foreseeable future. Members voted at their annual general meeting in Cardiff
to allow the current vaccination programme at Killerton in Devon to continue but won't expand the programme nationally.
Culling won't be allowed until more scientific evidence is made available about whether either culling or vaccinating
really have an impact on Bovine TB. [story]

Independent28.10.13 Chief vet under fire for badger cull advice -
Royal College members say extending cull could extend suffering and further spread TB - The Government’s beleaguered
badger cull suffered a further blow to its credibility today after 10 members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
accused Britain’s chief vet of bringing their profession into disrepute….(story)

Gloucestershire Echo26.10.13 RSPCA badger cull 'extermination' advert
deemed misleading by ASA - AN advertisement placed by the RSPCA which claimed that badgers were being "exterminated"
by the Government was in breach of guidelines, according to a draft judgment by the advertising standards watchdog….(story)ANY REASON TO HAVE A GO AT THE RSPCA BY VILE PEOPLE WHO CARE NOTHING AT ALL FOR
ANIMALS, FULL STOP!! Judi

Gloucestershire Echo25.10.13 Police voice fear of disorder as badger cull is extended
- PATIENCE may run out on both sides of the debate in the badger cull and disorder may result from its extension in Gloucestershire.
That's the concern of Martin Surl, the county's Police and Crime Commissioner…(story)

Foxyphobia

Independent 23-10-13 Vote
out these vandals of the countrysideEnvironment Minister Owen Paterson, seemingly encouraged by his spectacular failure to deliver on an ill-advised badger
cull, is ploughing on regardless, with an extension to the original six-week plan in Somerset and probably Gloucester (if
it survives a legal challenge from the Badger Trust). Meanwhile, his leader is plotting to ease restrictions on hunting via
the back door. If he succeeds, farmers would gain the right to slaughter whatever wildlife they deem to be a nuisance (does
this include ramblers ?) with a pack of hounds. Life in the countryside would become intolerable for the majority of rural
dwellers. Little by little this bunch of ministerial countryside vandals is destroying all that we hold dear. Owen Paterson
has a vision of massive American-style factory farms, fields full of GM crops, fracking plants, and a free rein to pursue
his sporting activities, as enjoyed by the rich and ignorant. As large country estates expand and capitalise on the
ever-growing band of City boys happy to spend their profits on shooting weekends, the ordinary peace-loving folk are further
marginalised. If this government remains in power, we will no longer see farm animals grazing in green fields;
there will be "no go" areas where snares and hounds trap and kill any wildlife and domestic pets that roam into
their path. Only cage-reared game birds, released in their millions every autumn, and tamed to the degree that they practically
walk up the gun barrel, will colour our landscape. It is within our power to restore the rural idyll we know and love
to its former glory by voting at the next election. Jill Deane, Staveley, Cumbria [letter]

Coventry Telegraph22.10.13 'Hell-bent on appeasing his all-powerful
NFU colleagues' - .... this pilot, just the prelude to a 25-year cull program, is already in tatters….
The government appointed contractor wants another three weeks to slaughter even more badgers in Somerset in order to shoot
70 per cent of the population to avoid perturbation. One might reasonably argue the reason for being so reluctant to explore
this route is that it would put the spotlight back onto farming practices and cattle management and Owen Paterson MP, himself
a farmer, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence and public opinion against this cull, is hell-bent on appeasing his
all-powerful NFU colleagues and continues regardless with this policy of slaughtering our wildlife. Bryan Griffiths,
Wiltshire Close, Bedworth.(letter)

Independent23.10.13 Belief in culling born of ignorance
- Janet Devoy (“This English thing about badgers”, 18 October) insists that “top predators”, such
as badgers, must be culled. This public belief that wildlife numbers are regulated only by direct killing is baffling to scientists…
Adele Brand, Caterham, Surrey(letter)

Western Morning News23.10.13 Still floundering after 40 years
- What would be the point of gassing badgers to meet a target when a) no one but no one knows how many badgers there were
at the outset and b) no attempt has been made to kill only diseased animals and leave healthy ones?... by Michael Gray,
Exeter(letter)

Telegraph12.10.13 Badger cull extended by three weeks to help marksmen hit
target - The badger cull is to continue for a further three weeks in one of the areas where the controversial measure
has been trialled. Natural England said a new licence authorises a three-week control operation to be carried out in west
Somerset this autumn, while an application to extend it in the second area - west Gloucestershire - has also been received….(story)

Independent on Sunday13.10.13 Owen Paterson: ‘Animal groups are condemning
badgers to a long, unpleasant death... It is shameful’ - Environment Secretary Owen Paterson sees his job as
defending the countryside against an urban elite - OLIVER WRIGHT - He is a pro-fox hunting, anti-gay marriage, climate change
sceptic who really doesn’t like the European Union. So it is strange to be sitting opposite the combative right-wing
Tory Environment Secretary Owen Paterson and finding myself rather charmed…(story)

Independent11.10.13 Badgershambles: Just how has the badger cull gone
so wrong? How did an ostensibly straightforward exercise in disease control become a byword for farcical official
incompetence? - It had all the qualities of a true British farce: marksmen being employed by the Government to run around
the countryside at night, pursued by a hardy bunch of protesters… (story)

Exeter Express & Echo11.10.13 Youngsters find shot badger bodies in river
- Four badgers thrown into the River Axe are proof that badgers are being killed outside of the Somerset cull zone according
to opponents of the operation - Some youngsters completing a Duke of Edinburgh Award saw the bodies in the river Axe and reported
it to the localBadger Group. Together with police Wildlife Liaison officer P.C. Wills, Adrian Coward retrieved the bodies
which were taken to Secret World Wildlife Rescue. Examination and x-raying of these animals proved that all four had been
shot with a shot gun….(story)

Western Morning News11.10.13 'Unhelpful' situation on costs -
Concerns have been raised at the impact on policing of extending the pilot badger cull… A spokesman for Avon and Somerset
Police said it was "too early" to assess how much the cull had cost but said the costs would not be borne by local
taxpayers….(story)

BBC News Online14.10.13 Woman charged over badger cull
firearm - A woman has been charged with attempting to steal a firearm during the badger cull. Madeline Buckler, 31,
of Kings Moss, Merseyside, was arrested on Friday in Newent, Gloucestershire….(story)

Western Daily Press14.10.13 Lorry load of dead badgers crashes in Gloucester
- Police are investigating reports that a van carrying dead Badgers crashed in Gloucester over the weekend….(story)

BBC News Online12.10.13 Badger cull demo in David Cameron's Witney constituency
- About 200 people have marched in Prime Minister David Cameron's Oxfordshire constituency of Witney in protest at the
government's badger cull policy…. Saturday's protest was organised by wildlife charity Care for the Wild…(story)

Herald12.10.13 Warning of criminal gangs coming to Scotland to illegally
hunt badgers - Criminal gangs are ¬flocking to Scotland to ¬illegally hunt badgers as a controversial cull
looks set to continue in England, it emerged yesterday. The claim was made by animal welfare chiefs, who believe badger baiting
is on the rise - particularly in rural parts of Aberdeenshire… The suspected rise in the number of cases in Scotland
comes as the badger ¬population in Somerset and Gloucestershire are subject to a cull to stop the spread of TB in cattle.
Scottish Badgers trustee Andy Riches said gangs often travelled from outside Scotland because they were less likely to get
caught in an area where nobody knew them...(story)

The
badgers have moved the goalposts’: Why Owen Paterson must wish he could join them, six feet underground

It’s foxes rather than badgers that are best known for their cunning.
The Environment Secretary may feel the dictionary of English idioms needs to be updated, however, after Owen Paterson said
the sneaky black and white creatures had “moved the goalposts” and undermined a pilot cull of the animals.

While the phrase is common in political parlance when searching for excuses or scapegoats, using it to accuse a furry
opponent of causing problems for a key Government policy appears to be a first.

Mr Paterson made the comment after he
declared the six-week cull in Somerset a success – despite marksmen killing only 850, or 40 per cent, of the 2,100 badgers
originally targeted and asking for a three-week extension to complete the job.

His attempts to describe the results
as an achievement led to an interviewer suggesting that he had “moving the goalposts on all fronts”.

“No,
that’s not right at all, the badgers have moved the goalposts,” Mr Paterson told the BBC in reply. “You’re
dealing with wild animals. It is a wild animal subject to the vagaries of the weather, disease and breeding patterns.”

If
Mr Paterson’s claims are correct, however, the badgers’ victory over Whitehall would be a pyrrhic one. The Department
for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs argues that the reason why fewer of the animals have been shot than expected is
because so many of them have already died – due to a combination of bovine tuberculosis and the cold winter weather
reducing the availability of food, significantly curbing the badger population over the past year,

Mr Paterson said
that because the badger population was so much smaller than previously thought, the cull had actually succeeded in killing
59 per cent of the animals in the zone.

However, Professor Sir Patrick Bateson, president of the Zoological Society
of London, said: “The government really is moving the goalposts... It is absolutely a mess and it’s interesting
that Defra is changing the rules.”

This would not be the first time that badgers have wreaked havoc for Mr Paterson’s
plans – and some wags might suggest they have been more successful than his political or envionrmental opponents. His
claim that the badger population was much smaller than previously thought comes just a year after he postponed the badger
cull by around nine months to this summer after finding badger numbers were higher than expected.

He said at the time
that it would be wrong to embark upon a badger cull at that point because the bigger-than-expected population would make it
difficult to hit the 70 per cent target before the start of the winter.

Although the delayed cull fell short of that
aim nevertheless, Mr Paterson seemed quite pleased, pointing out that the government’s chief veterinary officer, Nigel
Gibbens, “has advised that the 60 per cent reduction this year will deliver clear disease benefits as part of a 4-year
cull”.

Still, hitting the original target would be even better, Mr Paterson mused. “The advice of the CVO
[chief veterinary officer] is that further increasing the number of badgers culled would improve those benefits even further
and enable them to accrue earlier,” he said.

Given his knowledge of the fluctuations in badger populations, some
experts expressed surprise that Mr Paterson proceeded with the badger cull on 1 September. This was before he knew the results
of the latest population estimate, which were only finalised last week, just days before the cull was due to end.

A
Defra spokesman said the independent panel of experts convened to advise the government on the cull had recommended that they
take the latest badger census as close to the start of the cull as possible to ensure the most up-to-date figures.

The
Defra spokesman added that it would not have been possible to wipe out the entire local badger population by a mistake because
the cull was carried out on only 70 per cent of the culling zone.

WAAC says
Paterson is an unfeeling and mind bogglingly ignorant man who should be six feet under....

Badgershambles:
Just how has the badger cull gone so wrong?

How did an ostensibly straightforward exercise in disease control become a
byword for farcical official incompetence?

It had all the qualities of a true British farce: marksmen being employed by the Government to run
around the countryside at night, pursued by a hardy bunch of protesters, aiming not just to kill badgers but to score a greater
death toll than the total number of creatures available to be shot at.

And then to top it all, the Environment Secretary Owen Paterson put an image in our brains more typical to
the surreal imagination of Paul Merton on Have I Got News For You: some dastardly badgers turning up at a football pitch and
mischievously shifting the goal while nobody was looking.

Owen Paterson was widely mocked for blaming the failure of
his trial badger cull to hit its elimination target on the animals themselves “moving the goalposts”. Critics
accused him of being the chief removal man – with Professor Sir Patrick Bateson of Cambridge University and the Zoological
Society of London adopting the language to argue he had not only been involved in “moving the goalposts” but also
“changing the rules” of the game.

Who would have thought a badger cull could be so difficult? Never mind
whether you believe killing badgers is a good way to reduce bovine tuberculosis in cattle, or simply object to the cull on
moral grounds – surely the actual cull itself would be easy enough to execute.

Not so, Mr Paterson indicated this
week, as he admitted that a trial which has just finished in Somerset had failed on two counts.

First, a few days before
the six-week trial ended, he discovered that previous estimates of the badger population in the culling zone were widely off
the mark – it was actually 1,450 rather than the 2,400 calculated a year earlier.

Second, he admitted that shooting
nocturnal badgers as they ran around in the dark was actually pretty hard, meaning that his marksmen had not been able to
kill enough to ensure the cull’s effectiveness. This was despite significantly reducing their target from 1,680 (difficult
to achieve if only 1,450 badgers are there in the first place, according to that revised estimate) to 1,015, representing
70 per cent of the reduced population. This proportion is regarded as key to the cull’s success, killing most of the
badgers without wiping out the local population altogether.

An estimated population drop of this magnitude in just a
year clearly raises questions about a culling strategy predicated on such a precise percentage of killings – especially
when killing the animals is so difficult.

And although Mr Paterson puts the steep population decline down to deaths
stemming from the cold winter and the bovine TB he is attempting to curb, the drastic recalculation raises questions about
how reliable the estimates are, whether the latest number is correct, and why, if he knew badger populations fluctuate, he
didn’t wait for the results of the latest census before beginning the cull.

But while the difficulty of executing
a badger cull may come as a surprise to the lay person, Mr Paterson should have seen it coming.

After all, the debate
over how best to control TB in badgers – which are widely seen as helping to spread the disease among cattle - has been
rumbling along since 1971, when a population of badgers in Gloucestershire was found to be infected by the disease.

In
the early days, farmers responded by shooting badgers on their land, until the Badgers Act of 1973 made it an offence to kill
the animal but permitted licenced culling. Gassing badger setts became the preferred option for licence-holders – at
that time with cyanide – although this was outlawed as inhumane in 1982. At this point, the Government switched to trapping
badgers in cages and shooting them.

But all this culling activity was pretty low level. The debate really began in earnest
in 1997 when Lord Krebs issued his landmark report, which concluded that there was “compelling evidence” that
badgers helped spread TB among cattle but said further study was needed to determine whether culling them would reduce the
disease among cows.

His research led to a series of landmark trials, known as the Randomised Badger Culling Trials (RBCT),
in which the creatures were cage-trapped and killed between 1998 and 2005.

This brings us to the other main problem
with the cull. Not only is it extremely difficult to execute, but even if the population is accurately estimated and the right
number are killed, many scientists believe the cull will still not work – and may even make the problem worse.

The
RBCT findings are the main reason for this view. They conclude that “badger culling can make no meaningful contribution
to cattle TB control in Britain. Indeed, some policies under consideration are likely to make matters worse rather than better.”

This
was because a cull would help to spread the disease further because badgers would flee and carry the disease to new areas,
while others may come from elsewhere to colonise the gap left by those that have been killed.

Concerns about how effective
a cull would be at addressing bovine TB in cattle haven’t stopped Mr Paterson from pursuing his policy with vigour.
Nor have warnings about how difficult it is to accurately estimate the local badger population, or how difficult they might
be to kill. For marksmen with no experience of shooting these animals, it was surely never going to be easy to hit them in
the heart or lung area while they are running for their lives.

The Environment Secretary failed to be put off last October,
when he postponed the cull by about nine months after being told that the local badger population was much higher than he
previously thought. This made the task of killing 70 per cent of them before they go underground for the winter that much
harder – and he took the view it was better to play it safe and leave it until this summer.

But that is the only
constraint the Environment Secretary has shown. While those around him described the trial cull as a mess, Mr Paterson said
it had been a success. The Somerset cull had proved that the badgers could be killed effectively, humanely and safely, he
said, and had managed to reduce the population by 59 per cent. Although not 70 per cent, this level “will deliver clear
disease benefits”, he said, adding that he had applied to extend the cull to finish the job and hit the 70 per cent
target.

In so doing, a jubilant Mr Paterson looked set to perpetuate the shambles. Experts say that the extension will
merely serve to increase the so-called perturbation effect, spreading the disease even further afield.

Although opinion
remains fiercely divided, more eminent scientists oppose the cull than back it. They advocate a range of alternatives such
as vaccinations for badgers and for cows, contraceptives for badgers to reduce their birthrate, and stricter controls on moving
potentially infected cattle around the country.

Such measures are either not ready yet, or are regarded as too expensive,
and Mr Paterson doesn’t have time or money. However, given that 38,000 infected cattle were slaughtered last year at
a cost of more than £100m to the taxpayer, he cannot be seen to be doing nothing.

He is certainly taking action,
but as with many choices in politics, it may turn out to be counter-productive.

Not a black and white issue

Sky News9.10.13 Badgers 'Culled In Illegal Gassing Trials'
- Sky News has uncovered evidence that farmers have been gassing dozens of badgers to death illegally to try to control the
spread of bovine tuberculosis… Sky's Isabel Webster learned that unofficial trials of gassing using a hosepipe
and vehicle engines have been carried out on 14 farms in the south west of England. A farmer, who wanted to remain anonymous,
said: "We have done unofficial trials but we want to do official trials to prove that it does work and is humane….(story)

Telegraph9.10.13 Badger
cull 'should be scrapped' - The badger cull should be scrapped because it has failed to kill enough animals,
an expert involved in the trials has said. By Steven Swinford and Nick Collins - Ministers have halved the number of badgers
culled this year, following reports that marksmen were falling woefully behind official targets. The bar for two pilot programmes
has been lowered from 5,000 badgers killed to just over 2,500, as one cull in Somerset drew to a close and the second, in
Gloucestershire, entered its final stages But officials are considering applying for an extension to each cull of up to three
weeks after marksmen admitted they are still set to miss the new, lower target by at least 10 per cent….(story)

Daily Mail9.10.13 'The badgers moved the goalposts':
Minister Owen Paterson blames the wild animals for marksmen missing cull targets - Cabinet minister Owen Paterson today
blamed badgers for 'moving the goalposts' after it emerged marksmen have culled fewer than half the 2,000 animals
targeted. The Environment Secretary's bizarre explanation came as the government announced a new, lower estimate of the
badger population, making it easier to hit the 70 per cent target for culling….(story)

Daily Express
11-11-13 Not one badger culled was checked for TB NEARLY 900 badgers have been shot on
Government orders in Somerset to stop cattle getting TB. But no one knows how many brocks had the disease. Despite scores
of post mortems to check the kill was humane, not one badger was tested for TB. It's a farce. But apparently some badgers
are too smart to be killed -- they're wary of traps and gunmen. Who can blame them? [story]

Gloucester Citizen9.10.13 Actor Bill Oddie to join protestors against badger
cull in Gloucestershire - BROADCASTER Bill Oddie will stand hand –in-hand with protestors against a badger
cull in Gloucestershire tomorrow. The actor will be joining the wounded badger patrol as they go around Eldersfield’s
public footpaths to save injured badgers…(story)

Dorset Eye 10-13
Observations from a West Country war zone As well as running a now Devon-wide badger volunteer
lead vaccination programme, I have also been spending a lot of time in the Somerset Badger Cull Zone, working alongside local
people opposed to the slaughter of their wildlife. I had prepared myself for the distress I would feel at the sight and sound
of dying badgers, and to expect a fair amount of chaos as folk charged around the countryside either attempting to kill or
to save badgers, sometimes encountering sudden and unexpected road blocks put up by the police. Whilst all those things are
indeed happening, what has shocked me most has been the effect of all this on the local community. I haven’t seen this
degree of division and conflict in the UK since the Miners strike in the 1980’s. Neighbour is pitted against neighbour,
farmer against farmer, farmers against villagers, and farmers against the National Farmers' Union. Elderly women have
been threatened with legal action by the police for ‘outing’ their wildlife-killing neighbours. Hardworking locals
are giving up their nights, and their peace of mind, to patrol their neighbourhood looking for marksmen. Folk in isolated
farmhouses have found themselves surrounded, night after night, by men shooting high velocity rifles and blocking all means
of escape. To say the atmosphere is tense would be a huge understatement; at times it is positively terrifying....[story]

Western Morning News9.10.13 Peers lambast 'incompetent
and ineffective' badger cull - The people responsible for carrying out the badger culling trial have been
accused of incompetence by a former government chief scientific adviser. Lord May of Oxford said scientific opinion had been
against the cull and the people in charge of it had not even been able to provide a correct estimate of badger numbers…
During an urgent question in the House of Lords, independent crossbench peer Lord May said: “This cull went ahead against
the balance of advice from the scientific community in particular that a limited experiment such as this was unlikely to yield
much in the way of useful information.”…(story)

Western Morning News9.10.13 NFU president should be sacked
over badger cull, says Tory adviser - The blame game over who is responsible for alleged shortcomings in the
pilot cull of badgers erupted yesterday as a leading Conservative adviser on the countryside called for National Farmers Union
president Peter Kendall to be sacked. Richard Haddock, a former NFU office holder and now national chairman of the Conservative
Rural Action Group, alleged Mr Kendall ignored the advice he was given when the culling plans were being drawn up and eventually
backed a flawed strategy…(story)

Sky10.10.13 Animal Welfare Campaigners In Newcastle
Demand Stop To Bovine TB Badger Cull - Animal welfare campaigners in Newcastle have demanded a stop to the bovine
TB badger cull. Northumberland Wildlife Trust, which manages and protects critical species and habitats at over 60 nature
reserves throughout Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland, is one of 47 UK Wildlife Trusts are calling for the Government
to drop badger culling from its proposed strategy to tackle bovine TB in England…(story)

LETTERS

Worcester News9.10.13 There is no intention to ‘wipe
out’ badgers - In answer to the questions raised by Joyce Rose (Worcester News, October 4) regarding bovine
tuberculosis. Cattle and badgers can carry this disease. Cattle are regularly tested and culled if sick and the farm shut
to cattle movement. On the other hand, badgers with bTB are left to suffer and die out of sight and out of mind. Farmers have
not “gone gun-happy in shooting” thousands of badgers…. Jon Burgess, Malvern(letter)

Worcester News9.10.13 You can’t ‘protect’
an animal by killing it - Jon Burgess appears to be confused about the meaning of conservation (Worcester News, Friday,
October 4). He picks and chooses certain parts of animal management (including culling) and uses them as an excuse in order
to defend his views. In effect, he is like a religious extremist who picks parts out of a holy book to justify his killing
beliefs… Simon McCullough, Worcester(letter)

Badger cull: the police and NFU are losing the battle

With possible civil liberty
infringements adding to heavy policing costs, a failure to shoot enough badgers and disputed science, isn't it time to
stop the cull?

Policing the controversial badger culls in England is undoubtedly a tough job, with two bitterly
opposed sides colliding each night in the dark lanes and fields of Gloucestershire and Somerset. But are the police getting the balance right? I'd ask you to consider the new evidence below.

When I revealed recently that police in Gloucestershire had told an anti-cull protester that his details would be passed on to the National Farmers Union, which represents the culling companies, a lawyer from civil liberties experts
Bindmans told me this was "highly questionable". Gwendolen Morgan said: "Since when did the police become the
enforcers of the NFU's civil injunction?"

Gloucestershire police told me that the officer should have said
"we can pass information on to the NFU", rather than "we will". But I can now confirm that details are
indeed being passed on because I have seen a letter from the NFU's lawyers Foot Anstey to a protester arrested on suspicion
of aggravated trespass, but "de-arrested" shortly afterwards.

The two-page letter warns the protester about
the injunction's prohibitions on flashing torches and blowing vuvuzelas and adds "any person in breach may face commital
for contempt of court, a criminal offence, and suffer a fine or a custodial sentence".

Police officers in Gloucestershire
were also handing out NFU-produced leaflets warning protesters about the civil injunction, but Somerset police told me they
were not doing this. Instead, it turns out, in Somerset they are reading the leaflet out, as the video above shows. The officer
says he is issuing a "warning" of the civil injunction's existence.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset
police told me: "As part of our no-surprises approach, if someone's activities may breach the injunction we may briefly explain about the injunction to help people protest
responsibly."

On the passing of protester details to the NFU, a Gloucestershire police spokesman said: "We
make our judgment based on whether there is a pressing social need. The NFU has been granted this injunction at the high court
because it is believed that those carrying out the cull are at risk of harassment. Therefore if we review an incident and
suspect a breach of the injunction has taken place we will pass details to the NFU." I asked how many times details have
been passed on by Gloucestershire police: four times so far.

Are the police simply helping people protest responsibly,
as the vast majority already do, or are they acting, as some protesters allege, as a "private security force" for
the NFU? It's a tricky question and I will let you decide for yourself.

Let me be clear on one point: intimidation or harassment by anyone is completely unacceptable and I condemn it without
reservation. I have no doubt that some farmers have been victims of this disgusting behaviour. I am also sure that some law-abiding
protesters have suffered rough treatment from cull supporters.

But what does all this mean for the big picture: the
curbing of rising tuberculosis in cattle, which is an undoubted problem. Most scientific experts in this area say the cull is a "costly distraction" from the true solutions of vaccination and tighter control of cattle movements and farm biosecurity.

High policing
costs already mean that the cull is more expensive than a badger vaccination programme, according to one expert analysis. Then there is the possible cost to civil liberties
being incurred by the cull, as outlined above. Finally, the pilot culls are failing even on their own terms, as far too few badgers are being shot.

All this leads to an obvious question: when the costs outweigh the benefits, isn't it time to stop?

•
Note: The original version of this article stated I was waiting for a response from Gloucestershire police on how many times
they had passed on the details of protesters to the NFU. In fact, the police had already replied, but I had overlooked the
email. My apologies to them.

WAAC says -

But
what does all this mean: the curbing of TB in cattle which is an undoubted problem - never the less TB in cattle has
been going down according to Defra figures. Most scientific experts in this area say the cull is more costly than vaccinating
badgers - so surely having tighter control of cattle movements and farm biosecurity is the answer. NOW WE JUST WANT TO
KNOW WHY DEFRA ARE STILL KILLING INNOCENT BADGERS? Answer - to placate the NFU who do not represent most farmers....it
is also Patterson's revenge for losing the legal right to kill foxes with dogs. Judi

in Taunton the offices have the minibus that goes out with teams of shooters
parked up outside. Its white and its registration is

WJ12 NKZ, the 2 other white minibus registrations zooming round
the W.Somerset cull zone and being followed everywhere are:

DG62 FWC and VN54 THK. They are currently going out with
some government observers who are driving round in Nissan pickups with tarps over the back. The blue one is WD13 WDM and the
Silver one is WG13 LKF

Why
our farming minister should hang his head in shame

When
Somerset's own David Heath was appointed farming minister a year ago, one might have thought it a breakthrough.

Mr
Heath had the opportunity of a lifetime to impose his mark and that of his party as a former Somerset pig farmer and an Oxford
science graduate. He could have questioned the science and political muscle behind this badger cull.

With his MA in
Physiological Science, David Heath was well placed to confront both politics and science behind this cull. But alas no, he
has shown himself like the other Liberal Democrat MPs, to be weak and spineless in tackling the extremes of right wing Tories
who have an agenda so far removed from reality.

Owen Paterson and the powerful NFU are in the process of slaughtering
between 5,500 and 7,000 badgers. This in spite of all the published science being against this approach. This slaughter will
continue over the next 25 years and will attempt to wipe out at least 130,000 of our native badgers.

All I was expecting from Mr
Heath was to look at the science and observe that bovine TB rates have actually been falling since January, 2013, when better
bio-security measures were enforced. But cattle movements still remain very high and need further investigation as to why
so many take place.

Only 1.7% of badgers actually have a strain of TB serious enough to possibly
infect cattle and as the science states, most infection is being passed via the cattle-to-cattle route. Only 0.5% of the national
herd is actually bTB infected at the moment. Yet healthy animals are being routinely slaughtered and farmers compensated and
as always at huge expense to the taxpayer. In addition, of the animals slaughtered last year, 28,400 carcasses were sent straight
back into the human food chain! This makes a complete hypocrisy of the culling of both cattle and badgers. Slaughterhouses
are simply being told to remove any visible bovine TB lesions! The government is making its money back this way and telling
us the meat is safe and still Mr Heath you do nothing!

Mr Heath you were expected to examine the situation and argue
the case based on sound science, instead you have behaved like an dithering old man who turns up at a family wedding and is
told to sit down quietly out of the way and only comment on how lovely the couple look when asked.

These badger culls
serve no-one but the undemocratic, feudal minority who believe they are above the law of the land and what you have allowed
to happen by your inactivity Mr Heath is nothing short of a national scandal.

If anyone ever needs proof why the Lib
Dems are unsuitable as coalition partners, then they need to look no further than David Heath as the farming minister. He
is as effective as a dead sheep on a remote hillside farm in this debate. Shame on you Mr Heath and shame on what you have
inflected on the country of Somerset and Gloucestershire.

Well said
Western Morning News....

HUMANENESS OF THE CULL IS BEING TWISTED.Shooters allowed to pick and choose
which badgers to hand over...Shooters are being allowed to pick and choose
which 2% of all murdered badgers are to be tested for humaness. It's not rocket science to understand that
shooters are not going to choose badgers that have multiple gun shot wounds and dog bites. Nor is it rocket science that DEFRA
scientists are going to dismiss healthy TB free badgers opting instead for the 'few' (if any)
that might have the disease. The Independent newspaper reported on 4 shots being heard, a badgers high
pitched screams that went on for about five seconds, then grunting and silence. THIS IS TRULY HORRIFIC, AND THOSE RESPONSIBLE
COULD JUST AS EASILY TURN THEIR GUNS ON PEOPLE SHOULD THE OCCASION ARISE. THESE GUNMEN ARE WITHOUT PITY - THEIR SOULS
ARE GONE NOW because as sson as they killed or maimed their first victims they lost any right to their own souls. They
are in darkness now like the night with which they rain terror upon defenceless and frightened badgers. If I didn't
believe that people pay for their hideous cruelty, I would give up campaigning right now, and take up arms against
these evil sub human creatures, even if it meant damning my own soul. Judi

protesters in Chester against the cruel cull of badgers

Animal welfare/rights
come together in Chester to protest against the horrific badger cull.12th September
2013

It was refreshing to see so many lovely people coming together in Chester to voice their anger against
this unjust badger killing exercise being deployed in parts of Gloucestershire and Somerset. Conservationist
Betty Lee was the sticking plaster that held the event together and she gave a rousing speech aimed at this government
for allowing thugs to kill badgers in a free for all. Betty like so many other knowledgeable people want cattle to be vaccinated
instead. There is a vaccine already but this rotten government are reluctant to push for it to be widely available and
I think we all have our own idea's why? But pandering to the NFU seems to be uppermost in most people's minds. Never
the less they will no doubt pay for their extreme cruelty at the next general election.Barbara Gardner a RSPCA
trustee was also on hand to lend her expertise on the issue of badgers and the Rev James Thompson gave a most moving prayer
for badgers facing the nightmare of either being gunned down or seeing family members, pumped with shot or bullets.
Most of the badgers being killed are perfectly healthy. For the few who do have TB, perturbation will actually worsen the
spread of the disease. Badger culling seriously disrupts badger populations and has been shown to cause perturbation in the
remaining population, (as badgers try to flee the cull-zone), which will actually increase the risk of any disease spreading.

Maintaining the social stability of badger populations is key to reducing the
potential for them to spread infection.These culls are being carried out – not to tackle bTB, but to allegedly ascertain
“humaneness” of killing methods. That is supposed to be the agenda. Yet when the Humane Society International
made a Freedom of Information request recently they discovered that only 2% of these culls would actually be monitored. There
will be just 4 people on the ground, in fact.

Given that the shooters also have
bullets with a 2 mile trajectory, and given that they are also being told not to bother to check corneal reflexes to establish
levels of consciousness, and given the fact that we are talking largely about inexperienced teenage farm-hands shooting in
the dark, a complete mockery is being made of ‘humane monitoring.’ We have this from DEFRA: “The collection
of data must not influence or interfere with the action of the shooters.” This means that shot but conscious badgers
will be left in order to allow the shooters to carry on killing other badgers.

The
HSI has detailed the sort of agonizing suffering the badgers are going to go through: severe haemorrhaging, increase in respiratory
rate, hyperventilation, bone injury such as bullet damage to the skull, spine, ribs and legs; soft tissue damage to the lungs,
heart and liver. Those badgers killed relatively quickly will likely die due to “extensive destruction of a vital organ”
but those who are not shot cleanly will likely die due to wounds leading to “secondary infection and starvation, because
of reduced mobility.” On top of that abandoned cubs will starve in setts.

DEFRA
has admitted that many animals are likely to be wounded but not immediately killed. Unconfirmed reports are coming through
from the cull zone in Somerset this morning that: “badgers streaming with blood are running across the roads, chased
by dogs” – in total breach of the Natural England licence.

The pro-cullers
have been screaming about too many badgers, badger populations figures out of control etc. - but badger deaths are already
high. In spite of the badger’s legally protected status, Some 30 - 40,000 are killed on the roads each year, but, since
badgers became accused of spreading bTB it is well known that there are many vengeance killings going on under cover.
Some farmers have been accused of gassing, poisoning or shooting badgers on their land, and throwing them on the road, to
give the impression that they are road kills .

As we’re losing badgers at
a rate of 60,000 per year already, and as Owen Paterson intends to wipe out another 130,000 we will very soon see the extinction
of a much-loved and ancient native species and for nothing bar a political scapegoating exercise, and the opportunity for
our wealthy weekend hunters to come down from London and exercise some dominion over the countryside, whilst they play ‘God’
with the self-regulating balance of the eco-system.

These culls serve no-one but
this undemocratic, feudal Coalition and pro-hunt minority who believe they are above the law of the land –
and all its experts and scientists. What’s happening is nothing short of a national scandal

IF YOU ARE
LOCAL TO CONWY (KIMNEL BAY TO COLWYN BAY AND SURROUNDING AREA'S) THEN DO NOT
VOTE FOR PRO-HUNT PRO-CULL DAVID JONES IN THE NEXT GENERAL ELECTION. Thanks Judi

Hundreds of people marched
through Taunton today in a peaceful protest against the badger cull currently taking place in Somerset.

An estimated
400-500 people took part in the march, despite heavy downpours, which was organised by the Somerset
Badger Patrol group and the League Against Cruel Sports.

​ ​

Joe Duckworth, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, was among those present.

“It was a decent turn out,” Mr Duckworth told
the Western Morning News. “It was a very good march and what was really heartening was the positive response we had
from people who were out shopping.

Mr Duckworth spent last night on patrol in West Somerset and visited the camp where badger cull protesters
are living.

He said groups, some 30 strong, were patrolling the area into the small hours
of the morning with reports of cull activity in woodland near Dunster.

“We had reports that infrared lights were
being used and in the woods, so we gathered there,” he explained. “Within about five minutes, in the middle of
nowhere, the police arrived. They were very nice and pleasant.

“I think that showed there was clearly something
going on there, otherwise the police would not have been on hand.

“There were no sounds of shots but what I think
the patrols are doing is deterring shooting from taking place – so it is having an impact.”

Mr Duckworth
said he doubted if the pilot culls, with the other taking place in Gloucestershire, would reach their targets or prove the
humaneness of the “shooting method”.

He added: “I feel very sorry for farmers. Bovine TB is horrible
for the cattle and horrible for the farmers themselves but I think they have been sold a pup here. It is the most cynical
kind of politics.”

The West Somerset cull began on August 26 and opponents believe the shooting in Gloucestershire
started last Tuesday.

The pilots aim to tackle tuberculosis in cattle, which has ravaged herds in Devon and Cornwall,
by killing around 5,000 badgers over a six-week period.

The culls aim to assess if culling can be done effectively,
safely and humanely, with plans to roll out the scheme more widely in areas that are hotspots for TB in cattle.

Farmers
and the Government insist culling of badgers, which can spread TB to cattle, is needed to stop spiralling rates of the disease
in herds.

But opponents say culling the animals will have only a small effect on infection rates and will lead to badgers
suffering. They want the emphasis to be on vaccines and tighter cattle movement measures.

An online petition against
the pilots, started by Queen guitarist Brian May, leader of Save Me, has become the most signed on the official Government
website, with nearly 300,000 people having added their name.

LONDON—Farming Minister
David Heath misled a fellow Member of Parliament about the transparency of badger cull humaneness assessments. The badger
cull pilots began in Somerset last week and in Gloucestershire this week.

Mr Heath misled Adrian Sanders MP in a written
response on 2nd Sept. Mr Sanders asked Mr Heath why DEFRA had heavily redacted a document about assessing badger cull suffering
before releasing it to Humane Society International/UK for public distribution. Mr Heath stated: 'Not doing so could adversely
affect public safety and/or damage the environment. Non-disclosure of information in this manner is permitted and is in accordance
with the Environmental Information Regulations, which include specific exceptions.'

In fact, the assessment of badger
suffering was ordered to be released last month. That was the decision of the Information Commissioner’s Office, which
in a decision dated 6th August had found that DEFRA was wrong to apply the Environmental Information Regulations in defence
of its refusal to disclose. Mr Heath should have been fully aware of this at the time of his response.

Mark Jones, executive
director of HSI/UK, said: 'Farming Minister David Heath owed a fellow Member of Parliament complete and up-to-date information
on a subject that has aroused such strong public feelings and put so many animals in jeopardy.'

DEFRA refused to
supply information to HSI/UK for nearly eight months. When it finally did, the vast majority of the 28-page document was blacked
out. The agency has still not supplied the complete assessment as ordered.

DEFRA has consistently refused to answer
how its so-called 'humaneness assessment'—one of the key stated purposes of the pilot culls—will be conducted.
In spite of the Information Commissioner’s order to DEFRA to disclose, HSI/UK is still awaiting the information.

Few
badger carcasses, representing less than five percent of badgers to be targeted, will be collected for examination during
the pilot culls. DEFRA has failed to answer how these will be selected for post mortem examination; what examination protocols
will be used to determine humaneness; and how shot and wounded badgers who retreat underground to die (and will arguably suffer
the most) will be factored in to the humaneness assessment.

1. Click here to see the PQ in full. 2. Click here to view DEFRA's heavily redacted document from May 2013. 3. Click here to read the ICO's decision in full from August 2013. 4. The sections of the EIR that DEFRA incorrectly cited to
prevent disclosure are: Section 12.5.a of the regulations, which says that ‘a public authority may refuse to disclose
information to the extent that its disclosure would adversely affect… public safety’ and Section 12.5.g of the
regulations, which says that ‘a public authority may refuse to disclose information to the extent that its disclosure
would adversely affect… the protection of the environment to which the information relates’. 5. For further
information about DEFRA's lack of transparency, see Team Badger's report 'Keeping the Public in the Dark'.

Cameron’s
'badger cull by numbers’ paints a tragic picture

Today
is the 6th of September 2013, and on this day, if you care about England and its natural patrimony, three numbers
seem to matter the most:

31

5,000

and 300,000

31 is the number of Cabinet members in the UK Government, and these are the people that have been
elected to run this country. They were “voted” in because the parties that chose them got enough votes from the
general public to be empowered to do so – although that was three years ago, before many voters knew them well. These
people are led by David Cameron. They are his team.

5,000 is the number of badgers planned
to be killed in the next six weeks in two pilot areas in Gloucestershire and Somerset, with the aim of persuading people that
shooting them with shotguns and rifles at night is an effective and “humane” way of eliminating 70% of a local
badger population – although the Government has not told anyone what criteria it will use to assess the “success”
of such pilots, since it is keeping everything, conveniently, secret.

This 5,000 are the first victims of
the misguided cull (but they may not be the last) and, sadly, some of these are already corpses, perhaps in a freezer waiting for a Post Mortem by an official inspector, but most likely being destroyed so there is no
evidence left about their condition or how they died.

Over 300,000 UK citizens are telling Cameron’s team, in writing,
to “listen” to what they have to say on this issue, that they do not want this badger cull.

Almost
one third of a million UK citizens are telling Cameron’s team, in writing, to “listen” to what they have
to say on this issue, that they do not want this badger cull and instead want to see badgers and cattle vaccinated, because
this is the way Bovine TB will be eradicated, not by killing badgers which could actually increase spread of the disease.

The e-petition total now represents more than three times the numbers needed for a Parliamentary debate, more than 40,000 signatures more than the record of any previous official e-petition, and most likely just a fraction of
what the final number would have been if the petition could have stayed open for the remaining time the Government plans to
keep licensing people to shoot badgers.

A group of 31 people has ordered the massacre of 5,000 protected
wild animals while 300,000 members of the public they should be representing, including most independent scientists and wildlife
experts, are telling them now that they should not do it.

So, today, if this madness does not stop:

David
Cameron MP

Nick Clegg MP

William Hague MP

George
Osborne MP

Danny Alexander MP

Theresa May MP

Philip
Hammond MP

Dr Vince Cable MP

Iain Duncan Smith MP

Chris
Grayling MP

Michael Gove MP

Eric Pickles MP

Jeremy
Hunt MP

The Lord Hill of Oareford PC

Owen Paterson MP

Justine
Greening MP

Michael Moore MP

Ed Davey MP

Patrick
McLoughlin MP

Maria Miller MP

Theresa Villiers MP

David Jones MP -WAAC says we will campaign vigorously
against this man (MP for Colwyn Bay and surrounding district) in the coming weeks/months. People in this area and surrounding
district are going to know all about this pro-hunt, pro cull cabinet minister who sucks up to Cameron (judging
by his arse licking comments in the North Wales weekly News & Pioneer) is responsible for the many cruel badger killings
happening right now in Somerset and Gloucestershire. Last election we put all our energy into keeping our anti-hunt MP Chris
Ruane and it worked (he got even more votes than the previous election) Unfortunately we were unable to give the same amount
of time and effort into getting rid of solicitor David Jones as MP. This time we aim to put all our efforts into getting Jones
out - so kiss goodbye to your MP job after 2015 Mr Jones - you can count on it!

Kenneth
Clarke QC MP

Andrew Lansley CBE MP

Sir George Young Bt CH MP

Francis
Maude MP

Oliver Letwin MP

David Laws MP

Baroness
Warsi PC

David Willetts MP

and Dominic Grieve QC MP

each have these badger death sentences on their hands, and at least 300,000 people urging them to retract them.

Share This:

The city of Yulin, China holds an annual summer solstice tradition.
In this festival, an estimated 10,000 dogs are slaughtered and consumed every year. Animal rights groups state that dogs are
electrocuted, skinned, and burned alive. While officials say that the dogs are raised on farms for consumption, there is a
significant chance that many of these dogs are in fact, stolen pets which are sold to restaurants at low prices. Many of the
dogs are strays, which do not meet sanitation quotas either.

A resident defends the tradition, stating, “It’s
unfair to call Yulin people brutal only because we have this tradition to eat dog meat. People who call us uncivilized and
cruel should stop eating meat first.” Yet the practices revolving the dog meat trade in China is dubious, and its methods
are questionable at best. Dogs are packed into overcrowded cages, and transported on top of one another for miles with no
food or water. There are sanitation restrictions involving the sales of dog meat, yet animal rights activists say that these
are poorly enforced and officials often inform dog meat vendors of their arrivals and inspections.

This festival is
cruel and unsanitary, and the public slaughter of dogs needs to be stopped. Sign this petition to urge city officials to cancel
the festival, and help save thousands of dogs from slaughter.

PROTEST IN MACHYNLLETH AGAINST
SECRETARY OWEN PATERSON.

June7th 2013

Around thirty protesters descended on Machynlleth to protest against Secretary Owen Paterson
who was taking part in BBC's radio 4 'Any questions'.This avid fox hunting minister has been instrumental in trying
to destroy hard won victories for our wildlife. Apart from his support for the badger massacre currently taking
place in two counties he also wants to take away all protection from badgers and otters. Has there ever
been a more vicious minister or indeed party than the present Tory administration? Supported by the weak Lib Dems - this
party are destroying whole swathes of wildlife to placate those agrieved at the ban on fox hunting.

Judi

WE WILL BROCK YOU

March against the cull
speech by Dr Brian May

1st June 2013

WELL
DONE Brian May - you are a great asset to the cause and boy, what a cause!

I
couldn't be at the march, too many commitments here at the moment. So many other people from the north in the same
position who couldn't make the march either but we were all with you in spirit.

I can't tell you in words how much I despise this blood soaked government. All we can do
now is get Labour MP's and other animal friendly ministers to open up to the public to let the rest of the nation
know how this government are killing badgers out of spite. This cull has very little to do with controlling just one
disease (that affects the poor downtrodden cattle) it has more to do with the ban on hunting with dogs. Brynle Williams from
my neck of the woods was the one who instigated this cull and he is now dead but his evil legacy lives on. It is my belief
that Brynle, the farmer who started the fuel strike was only using this to get Labour chucked out because of their plan
to ban fox hunting with dogs - Brynle must have been so incensed by the ban that he and his terrier-men
mates went along to the Little Theatre in Rhyl to hurl abuse at Prescott. It was one of Williams mates that threw
the egg in John Prescott's face. And although Williams never succeeded in breaking labour's back - it was the beginning
of the end for Labour and the rest is history. I actually wrote to the Williams family to say how sorry I was that Brynle
had died - how we could never agree on the issue of farming and blood-sports but that I could never wish harm
on him. I will put the march on my website for the Welsh to see. I realise that we in Wales are not out of the woods yet
while the so called vet Glossop is still at WAG. Her statements to the media were to say the least biased. We
destroyed our Plaid led WAG through hard work, protests and blitzing the media with reports, oh and door to door leafleting
- it worked, we got rid of the Plaid Agricultural Minister and a slightly more compassionate Minister was put in
her place and thankfully he opted for vaccination, not extermination. It appears to be working, so fingers crossed! I'm
sure all your hard work will pay off in the end but you have a far greater enemy with Cameron, Patterson and co - these
people are spoilt public school brats who have never grown up and who will never be great leaders - they're
as pathetic, cruel and foolish as any of those comic characters in Black Adder. Yes, we all know the Tories will
be annihilated at the next general election but it is going to come too late for the poor badgers in Gloucestershire and
Somerset. Cold hearted beasts like the fat gross terrier-man hunt supporter Grocott, who bragged to my
colleague Emma as we monitored the hunt March 2nd that he was looking forward to taking part in the cull in Gloucestershire.
These rotten to the core people are the so called trained marksmen that DEFRA spoke of - trained my backside - people
like these were hired to kill and yes maim badgers and no doubt foxes that cross their (night vision) path - they are
the modern day Nazi's - usually people with low self esteem who take delight in bullying more defenceless life. Imagine
a shot badger in pain and with a dog baring down on it! How do you measure this kind of mental and physical pain? These hired
shooter thugs (some terrier-men) are nut jobs with no brains - IT'S THE TRUTH!

My beautiful marathon
running daughter Suzanne, wanted to do something to help me raise funds for better monitoring equipment, so she offered
to run the Chester half marathon for WAAC. The fund raising was at very short notice, just one week, so
I'm thrilled she was able to raise £120.00 towards much needed equipment.This is just the start
and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we reach our goal of £1,000 by the end of the Summer.My thanks
to everyone who sponsored her - I promise that this money will be put to very good use.Judi

Please voice your opposition to Wolf Baiting
in Kyrgyzstan by signing the following petition, calling for the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Zhantoro Satybaldiyev,
to ban the practice of Wolf Baiting at the Salborün Festival and adopt more humane methods of demonstrating hunting prowess
-

You can also contact your Kyrgyzstani Embassy, asking them to act in an empathic
and compassionate manner and ensure that alternative and humane ways of demonstrating Kyrgyzstani hunting methods are adopted
at this years festival. Find your Kyrgyzstani Embassy contact details here -

Stop skinned alive&nbsp;dogs and others animals in China for fur and meat .Animals are
not ours...

Will someone please help me................

End long distance live transport!

Latest News

Take action: Debate on live transport announced- urge your MP to speak
out!

MPs Laura Sandys, Jim Fitzpatrick and Caroline Lucas have secured a debate in Parliament on this
issue of long distance live transport this Thursday (13th December). Please email your MP urging them to speak out against
this cruel trade at the debate. Email you MP now...

Take action: RSPCA team up with CIWF to end live transport

We've teamed up with
Compassion in World Farming to create a Number 10 petition. If we reach 100,000 signatures this issue will
be eligiable for debate in Parliament. The animals need your support more than ever. Please sign the petition now!

The Campaign

Every
year millions of animals including calves, sheep, dogs and horses are transported all over the EU.

Since the live
export trade from Ramsgate re-opened in 2011 many thousands of animals including calves, sheep and horses have suffered being
shipped overseas through its port. We're monitoring the trade from Ramsgate and have concerns on the boat being used.
We're urging the government not to issue licenses if there are concerns that transport times laid down in law will be
broken.

We want to see:

An end to long-distance transport of live animals in
favour of a ‘carcass-only’ trade

A maximum eight-hour journey time for all animals
travelling for slaughter or 'further fattening' across the EU

Amendments to existing legislation that
allow ports to refuse the cruel trade in live animals

While the trade continues, for the full
costs of veterinary and Animal Health regulatory inspections as well as lairage and emergency facilities to be borne
by the hauliers, rather than by the taxpayer.

What we're doing

Since the beginning
of 2012, RSPCA inspectors have been monitoring the port of Ramsgate for breaches in animal welfare. While we do not support
the trade in live animald from Ramsgate, while it does go on, the RSPCA will be there to ensure that current laws are upheld
and enforcement agencies carry out their jobs properly minimising the suffering of those animals unfortunate enough to have
found themselves in that position.Since February, the RSPCA have issued formal animal welfare warning notices for breaches
in welfare by hauliers.

Animals suffer during long distance live transport. These calves and sheep have often
been crammed into trucks on UK roads for hours before facing a grueling channel crossing of up to another 6 hours before
heading for conditions illegal in this country.

What can I do?

Join us in our fight to end this wretched
trade, we can not allow any more animals to suffer and die this way. Take action for animals now using the button below!

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Sir David Attenborough in anti-badger cull Christmas number one bid02.12.12Sir David Attenborough has been enlisted by the producers of a charity single in the battle
for the Christmas number one. The wildlife documentary maker appears in the video for the song, The Present of Life, which
is being launched by BBC Springwatch presenter Chris Packham and is part of a campaign against plans for a badger cull. The
video features Packham on drums and weather forecaster Michael Fish on guitar. Rob da Bank, the Radio 1 DJ, also appear in
the clip. The song is produced by eco-friendly clothing firm Rapanui…. (story)

Llandudno was the setting for a morning of campaigning on all animal cruelty issues. This is an event
that happens once a year and it occurs all over the world. The weather did not disappoint with
the sun shining down on us, and we were happy to see so many people taking note of the leaflets we were handing
out, courtesy of the many organisations that are trying to stop legal animal cruelty. We at
WAAC gave out our latest newsletters, free of charge.We would like to thank Mike for his dedication to animal welfare.Judi

Jean, Stuart, Judi at Sainsbury's

CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE ENGLISH BADGER CULL.Starting with a 'sweep'
of local 'Supermarkets' that support the cull - WAAC joins the protest.

With Brian May spear heading the campaign against the English badger cull things are really starting to hot
up, and his petition now reaching 146,519 signatures in just two weeks means the government will be forced
into a debate against the cull again. High profile celebrities are making their voices heard and even councils
in the cull area's of Gloucestershire are refusing to allow badger culling on their land. Activists have been mapping setts in order to peacefully and lawfully
prevent the badger slaughter. Animal welfare and rights groups have rallied together like never before to show
pro-hunt, pro-cull ministers that they are going to have a real fight on their handsif they persist in killing these
wonderful badgers.

Supermarkets Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Lidl, Aldi and Morrison's are being targeted by activists
across England and here in Denbighshire because they stock milk from farms involved in the cull. We want these
stores to stop stocking milk from these cull zones. Yesterday was 'World Animal Day' so we decided to do our
bit by urging customers to boycott dairy products from these particular stores. I had the banner (see photo) specifically
made to highlight the cruelty that is about to be unleashed on badgers in the pilot area of Gloucestershire. The Tesco manager
in Abergele was very kind and allowed us to stay close to the supermarket doors and make our voices heard.
We were not turned away from Sainsbury's either or Lidl but Asda were quite hostile and told us to get off their property,
which we promptly did. We spent an hour outside each Supermarket.

After the outrageous and biased newspaper article in the local paper practically commending Peter Jolly for
using animals and almost accusing me of making malicious threats to the Mr Jolly I decided we should follow this circus
to the their next venue in (Oakenholt). If nothing else I needed to prove we had nothing to hide. The event went
okay - not as good as Rhyl where we got loads of support but it was worth it because we got a really good report in the Flintshire
Chronicle - the reporter on this occasion was fair and very professional.But at the end of the day it is the animals
that count and this is why we wanted the public to know the truth about what goes on behind the scene's of every animal
circus.Judi

Wales Against Animal Cruelty supporting CAPS (Captive Animals Protection Society) held
a very successful protest against Peter Jolly's animal circus in Rhyl. We did getlot's of support from drivers hooting their horns as they drove by - it was remarkable!!!
It also shows how the public are against the use of animals in circuses. Jolly's circus has cats and other animals
performing and they also have a fox that has been 'trained' to ride on a pony, but newspaper articles only ever mention
dogs and a camel and a zebra which can be seen grazing outside between performances. Possibly when the cats, dogs
and poor fox have finished their few minute stunts they are shoved back into their cages. We are hopeful of a ban within
the next few years so that circus animals can be taken away from circuses and sent to rescue centres.

This protest was also done in memory of Ming the bear who died in 2007. Ming had
been forced to ride a bike until she could no longer perform this trick then she was paraded around the ring to the tune
of 'The teddy bears picnic'. She was then allowed to sit down and handed a bottle of milk which she drank very slowly
- we believe to make her few minutes of freedom last longer before being led back to her bare and tiny cage on the back of
a truck. Making animals perform is a shameful, degrading and cruel way to treat any creature, let alone a beautiful
bear like poor Ming. There appears to be a lot of secrecy surrounding the death of Ming and nobody knows how she died
or where she is buried?

We left white carnations in Ming's memory on the fence
- these flowers were removed within an hour of our leaving.

With the kind support of the
Rev James Thompson and his devoted wife Doreen we also held a prayer for Ming and all those other animals
incarcerated in circuses across the world. Special thanks also to Councillor Brian Blakely for supporting CAPS demo.Judi

Ming the bear in her ''exercise'' cage. Five steps to the bars!!

PROTEST AT JOLLY'S ANIMAL CIRCUS8th September 2012 (Starts at
1pm, ends at 2pm)and in memory of Ming the bear.

On a
typical night the most pitiable sight of all was the ‘performance’ of Ming the ageing black bear. This poor
creatures was forced to pad around the Big Top to the tune of the Teddy Bears’ picnic, day in day out.

After she’s been paraded around, a brightly coloured clown gives Ming a bottle of milk. She then sits gratefully
down on a bench and drinks it slowly. After all, the longer she takes, the longer she’ll stay out of her cage. The
old bear had learned how to make the most of her few minutes of ‘freedom’.

And when the tune
is over, Ming shambles back to her 'beastwagon', as her home in a tiny barren cage on the back of a truck is known.
If she’s lucky, she would also be allowed to use her 'exercise' cage, which was little more than a prison
cell with a grass floor. This gave her barely enough room to take four or five steps in each direction.

Peter Jolly’s
circus had replaced Ming’s natural life of roaming through forests and swimming in mountain streams with boredom and
hopelessness. Her natural diet of fresh corn, honey and wild berries had been replaced with dog biscuits, vegetables and –
as an occasional treat - a pig's head. It’s hardly surprising that she looked so lonely, miserable and depressed.

I was in tears when I read those words - I can only hope
that Ming is happy now.Judi

'GUN' SMOKE AND MIRRORS CAMPAIGN.

Help stop 'Game Bird' shooting - a vile bloodsport, motivated
by the pleasure of extinguishing life.

An Early Day Motion has
been put down in Parliament supporting the League's aim to end the suffering inflicted on gamebirds in the name of sport
as shown in the League's new film 'Gunsmoke and Mirrors'which exposes the truth about the gamebird shooting industry.

Please write to your MP asking him/her to sign this
EDM.

CONDEMN CORVID TRAPS ON SHOOTING ESTATES.

Please be on the lookout for any cage traps like the one I photographed (see picture) on Langford's
land in Denbighshire, and tell us about them.It's
bad enough that this shooting estate uses snares to catch animals, but to also use these prison's, well, it says
it all about the mindset of these people. Judi

ANTI-FREEZE, PETITION Please note there seems to a problem with the first petition at moment so worth trying tomorrow if it does not work.

Last night the whole
nation saw, on a programme called Foxes Live, the shocking sight of the execution of a beautiful, adult, perfectly healthy
fox.

The creature was trapped in a cage, and presumably left
in there most of the night, in a state of panic and distress. And then, while the Channel 4 cameras rolled, a professional
gunman 'dispatched' it with a gun.

The sequence was
appallingly upsetting to anyone who cares about animals, and one cannot complain about the decision of the programme to show
it, because the truth is now finally out for all to see. These intelligent, innocent and precious animals are being
murdered at will - and it's not even against the law. Surely the time must now arrive when the law must be changed
to protect these fellow mammals from this senseless cruelty and persecution.

And what crime was this animal accused of ? According to the man who summoned the executioner, foxes had been
'frightening the birds in his aviary'. It was not established, of course, that this particular fox had
ever even been near his birds, and even if it had, by what process was it decided that this is a capital offence ? What
are we thinking of, here ? Without any kind of arbitration or trial, people are able to kill a wild mammal just because they
have decided its behaviour is annoying them.

This is a crime
against our fellow creatures - it's legalised murder, and must must be recognised as such.

It's incredible that this man was able to decide that the lives of a bunch of birds (who should not be kept in
cages anyway) were more important than a highly sentient and cognisant animal - with a nervous system almost identical to
a human, or a dog, or a cat.

People … are you going
to stand by any longer and let this happen ? Please make this the day when you say "Enough cruelty to animals".

Please join us on Save-Me Facebook - join up and help us fight for
the decent treatment of animals. And ask your friends to join. And please write to your MP telling him what you
think about the way the present law fails to protect our wild animals, and to the newspapers. Spread the horror story
- let us see Britain's animal lovers unite, rise up, and rid this country of this unacceptable cruelty.

Dear Editor, - Leaked Countryside Alliance The Countryside Alliance (CA) is a British organisation promoting issues relating to
the countryside such as food, farming and country sports (hunting, shooting and angling). documents complaining
about a 'shortage of foxes' have blown apart the myth at the heart of the hunters' argument - that the fox is
a pest and needs to be controlled.

The memo from Simon Hart, chairman of the Countryside Alliance, refers to a
letter sent in March this year by Lord Daresbury, chairman of the Master of Fox Hounds Association, criticising landowners
for not doing enough to encourage foxes to breed on their land.

The memo confirms the reality that the hunts -
which account for only a tiny minority of the foxes killed in this country - have cynically fabricated the pest controlpest controln → control m de plagas

pest controln → lutte f contre les nuisibles

pest control pest n argument as just another means of justifying
their cruel and unnecessary 'sport'. This latest revelation comes as no surprise to IFAW IFAW International Fund for Animal Welfare (animal protection group),
whose hunt monitors have frequently uncovered hunts around the country using artificial earths and food trails to encourage
foxes onto their land.

The pro-hunt lobby has lost both the argument and the campaign within the democratic process.
It is now time for the ban - and time the hunters gave up this cruel sport and found themselves a more humane pastime.

PHYLLIS CAMPBELL-MCRAE Director, IFAW UK

COPYRIGHT 2004 Birmingham
Post & Mail LtdNo portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright
holder.

Copyright 2004 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

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WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO LACS?

LACS was first set
up by brave hunt sabatuers in 1924. Well, what a stark contrast to the lilly livered LACS we have today. I joined LACS back in 1990 but left in 2009 after they betrayed the animals by taking Charity status - this meant they
could not be political and so had their hands tied. But hunting with dogs is political - unfortunately the
bosses at LACS could not see that! Having recently received a request for donations from LACS, after
a rather curt letter from them informing me that because I left them a few years ago (I refused to sign their
very restrictive so called code of conduct) I must not let the police think I am a hunt monitor for LACS
- as if! LACS investigators (we are not called hunt monitors anymore, apparently!!)
are required to send any snippet of illegal hunting to them, and pictures and statements to the press presumably censured
- it's nuts! Not only does this inhibit the hard UNPAID work we MONITORS do but it insults those of us out there
in the cold in Winter, facing God knows what! LACS appear to be wanting more money to pay for more
investigators, or is it for their huge salaries? Cos I personally don't know any hunt monitors that are
paid a wage by LACS or even given expenses (for fuel ect...). So LACS, until you get tough again you have
lost the respect of independent hunt monitors here in North Wales, but rest assured we will remain
ever loyal the animals we seek to protect - I'm just glad we don't have to answer to you! LACS
of old must be spinning in their graves.Monitoring the hunt will be a priority next season - count on
it!. Judi (Independent hunt monitor)

WAAC supports VIVA in Llandudno - April 7th 2012

WAAC SUPPORTS VIVA IN LLANDUDNO.7th April 2012We took
VIVA's Easter day of action to Llandudno today - 7th April 2012. The campaign was aimed at drawing
attention to the plight of lambs born on freezing hillsides during Winter months - basically to satisfy consumer demand
for Spring lamb.There is so much about lambing that the public are not aware of - such as tail docking, often without
anaesthetics, and castration.

Then there is the market place where ewes and lambs are sold seperately. It would
take a heart of stone not to be moved by the heart breaking bleats of ewe's for their young, and lambs for their
mothers.

We were fortunate today to be joined by WAAC's patron Rev James Thompson and his wife Doreen. I
felt it was appropriate to have the Rev say a prayer for the animals this Easter as well as give a very powerful
speech on the evils of eating meat. I too gave a speech and sang a couple of hymns - though I'm a lot more at
home singing with a band and through a microphone instead of a megaphone but needs must, and we did hit our message
home which was the whole point.

To summarise - it went quite well - there was support for what
we were doing there but there will always be those that don't give a damn about anything. Never the less I
hope we planted a seed - you never know!Judi

PLEASE NOTE - Although the hunting season is over, we still need to campaign
against repeal, so any help with street campaigns and leafleting would be appreciated. Gathering intelligence
to improve hunt monitoring is a must. It is possible to get valuable film footage sticking solely to public footpaths, so
next season, it has to be our priority.It would be wonderful if the hunt could prove they are only trail hunting.
They seem to think we don't understand the hunting act, which is rather insulting. When there is no evidence of
a trail being laid, then how can we believe the hunt when they say they are hunting legally? They fail to understand
why we become suspicious when we see terrier-men hanging around? They don't understand why we accuse them of
fox hunting after they send fox hounds into a covert that is likely to have foxes, and where the riders
cannot hope to follow? They use surveillance against us when we're not the ones breaking the law. It all makes for
some really suspicious activity on their part.I accept that some members of the hunt come across as nice people
- we are really nice too, though we don't want to see foxes cruelly abused for sport. Plus
there really is a much darker side to hunting, as Clifford Pellow's sordid account of hunting, states.At the
end of the day, I can only appeal to the hunt to do the right thing - phase out your fox hounds (stop breeding them
- nobody wants to see them shot dead) and please introduce drag hounds which only follow an artificial
scent. This way the hunt gets to prosper (I and many others would eagerly support them) and the riders would still
have jolly good time. In other words everyone is happy, except the terrier-men, but who cares about them? They should
be locked up!.Judi

MONITORING THE CEFN ESTATE.3rd march 2012

A
very strange day with hopefully no foxes killed by hounds. Only one intimidating incident involving a terrier-man while I
was on a public footpath. Cefn is probably the area most hunted by the Flint & Denbigh and one of the most
difficult to monitor. Area's around Denbigh appear to atrract the most supporters making it doubly difficult
to get any any good info re illegal hunting. Staying out of sight as much as possible is the key but it can be
dangerous as well, if you don't know the area's that well. I injured myself, cracking or bruising a rib after
falling down a ditch and landing on a rock - my fall no doubt due to my rubbish La Sportiva Mountain boots
that are rigid beyond belief -only meant for mountain wear. These same boots let me down February 2010 while
I was monitoring the Eyrie hunt, not far from Beddegelert. On this occasion I had done the hard bit descending down
a steep slippery hillside littered with rock faces and boulders then I became complacent and slipped on a slimy rock
and went headlong into a stream and got stuck under the water and trapped between two boulders. I struggled
to free myself but I was well and truly stuck. It sounds a bit dramatic but thank God for Rosemary (another hunt
monitor) who was not too far away when it happened. The scary thing is we were just about to split up and go
our separate ways. So you see folks it is safer to travel in pairs in area's like Snowdonia - you really can
drown in just two feet of water - heck, a few inches, if you bang your head.As it turned out I had
broken my wrist in two places - all thanks to boots that I had paid an arm and a leg for about a eight years
ago. But getting back to last Saturday -my injury meant I had to join our driver for the remaining
hour and half of the afternoon, inside the car, meanwhile our other two colleagues, Emma and Dafydd, were
on the move elsewhere - keeping out of sight, but doing a great job.

I must say though, if the hunt are not breaking
the hunting law then why are they so concerned by our presence, after all, we leave nothing behind but our tracks?

To summarise, there was nothing major to report on this occasion (the last meet of the season) but
a very interesting day.Judi

A GRIZZLY FIND as we Monitor the Flint & Denbigh on the Mostyn Estate.February 25th 2012

Bite mark on the nose.

fox covered in mud proving this young fox had been dug out..

A dead fox left to rot on public footpath on the Mostyn Estate.

MOSTYN HOST THE FLINT & DENBIGH HUNT - as we try to monitor and are shadowed
by their hunt security.

All in all today was very educational, if extremely
stressful! It seems the Flint & Denbigh have hired some hunt stewards to stop hunt monitors like us from surveying
their activities, hmm, and all the while they claim to be drag hunting!!?? WHY DO THIS, IF THEY HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE?? The day started for us when we found them hunting in a wood on the Mostyn Estate. I have clear film footage showing the
hounds in a highly excited state, no doubt after a fox, and a very angry huntsman, clearly annoyed by our presence because
he had to call the hounds off. After accusing us of trespass, he sent in his stewards to ensure we did
not stray off the public footpaths. The problem for this hunt of course is that these woods in Mostyn are littered with public
footpath's so the hunts enjoying a good fox hunt have surely been scuppered if monitors are present.However, we were shadowed by this hunts security for most of the day who spent most of their time on a mobile
phone alerting the hunt to our whereabouts. The dead fox we found looked like it had been dead for weeks so
it was very hard to say how the poor thing came by its horrific bite marks. It could have been shot and predated
on or used to train young hounds or terriers. I am inclined to believe that because it was covered in mud - it
was dug out. It could even have been dug out before or during a previous meet - we will never know for
sure, but it was upsetting finding this once beautiful animal reduced to a rag. Personally I think the fox was put there for
us to find because I went back the following day to see if the fox had been removed and found it completely
shredded. If this fox had died where we found it, then it would have been in bits weeks before we found it.I would just like to add that I go out of my way to avoid confrontation with these hunt supporters.
It is not in our best interest to bother filming them or the riders when nothing is happening!
I am only interested in filming the riders and hounds 'working' together - in other words when the
heat is on.As for hunt supporters who deliberately atagonise us, well, we need photographic evidence of
their intimidation. If they leave us alone, there is no need to point the camera their way. But the terrier-men, hmm, they
are fair game for our camera's because their presence is an indication that this hunt are not trail/drag
hunting, but fox hunting.

terrier-men and hunt supporters at the hunt near Nannerch, close to Ruthin.

MONITORING THE HUNT AROUND THE LLANELIDAN AREA, CLOSE TO RUTHIN.

February 11th 2012 and we were monitoring at the back of Llanelidan - the hunt met at a
shooting estate just off the Ruthin/Bala road. We found them in the usual way.....

To
the unconcerned, they could just have been trail/drag hunting but as far as we were concerned they were very
definately fox hunting. They don't even pretend to drag/trail hunt. Mind you, when they have terrier-men
present and following on, how can they say they are just trail hunting? No sign of any rag being dragged either, but
even if there were, it would still be meaningless to lay fox urine down where foxes are present - utter madness! The day went as it usually does - lots of moving around and trying to find the hunt. It is always unfortunate to walk
into the midst of gnarled hunt supporters and terrier-men but it nearly always happens. We had the usual paedophile jibes
which is complete and utter nonsense of course, and then the sniggers, but these insults do nothing to unsettle us -
we see these people as quite pathetic really. Finally, we settled in cover at about 2/45pm and waited. Not
long after I heard the crackle of twigs close by and watched in stunned silence as a fox crept
past us. I darted forward to get some film, expecting to see it dash across the field, but it had vanished down an earth.
Minutes later some hounds went scurrying by - without detecting this fox. Maybe the scent of human urine
(nature calls) masked the scent of our fox - but whatever the reason, we stayed by the earth to protect our
furry friend until the hour left of hunting had passed, and we could gratefully make our way home.
Judi

Monitoring the hills behind Nannerch.

MONITORING CLOSE TO NANNERCH.Saturday 18th
2012

Just got back from monitoring up in the hills at the back of Nannerch. We actually found
the hunt after seeing a horse box leaving Trefnant and heading towards Mold. I had hoped they would not be hunting -
I genuinely thought they would not be going out in such appalling weather - the dawn was quite
stormy but it cleared up mid morning to reveal some sunshine.

At first we struggled to find the hunt and when
we did it was around noon. No sooner had we crossed a field and were heading up towards the edge of the forest
when we heard hounds making a terrible commotion. Suddenly a fox appeared seemingly out of nowhere -
it was running for its life. Hounds then appeared and were following on after the fox. The fox happened
by so quick there was no time to get it on camera. We got the hounds though but then these animals are
many and so very easy to film. I believe this fox got away!.

About an hour later I was confronted (pounced upon
more like) by one of two very angry hunt workers on a quad bike, one of whom told me to get
out of the forest. I told him to stop breaking the law and that he was being very confrontational. At one point
I thought he was about to grab my camera, so I pushed him away - but upon seeing my camera he had the
cheek to say,"Don't you touch me", trying to make out that it was me being aggressive!! I was the
one being defensive!!

The police were useless as usual and showed more concern that I might be trespassing
than they were about these serial law breakers until I told them trespass was not a police matter.The Mold
Officer then tried to assure me that this hunt were just laying a trail!! Yes and pigs
can fly, I thought.

I told her that if in future I thought
a fox was being cruelly abused in a private wood or forest I would find it extremely difficult to stop myself
from veering off the public footpath to try to help the animal.

I also told her that the police were the ones which should be out here enforcing
this law, not us! Maybe if they did, they would see for themselves how foxes are being tormented by a
pack of dogs. I mean what kind of 'drag' hunt has a guy in the forest shouting voice calls
to unsettle a fox - it was getting the hounds very excited. Plus this hunt was sending the hounds through dense forest
cover where the riders (only about fifteen today) could not possibly have followed.

The huntmasters horn call also sending a message to the other riders that the fox had gone
to ground.

The law really is an ass and needs a damn good kick up the backside!!!!

We hunt monitors are out there at our own personal
risk trying to gather evidence of foxes being cruelly hunted by the hunt's trained hounds and the
police on this occasion showed more concern about our supposedly momentarily veering off the public
footpath to get some film of hounds in a state of high excitement, which were obviously going after a
fox.

Our presence did save this one fox though, so it was worth it. But I know there would have been others
out there today being terrorised, if not killed by this hunts dogs. It is simply impossible for us to follow
the hunt everywhere they go - to do this we would need to be able to fly.

One law for the rabble gang and another for decent compassionate people - so nothing has changed,
we are still in the icy grip of a very class driven society where the lower order still doff their
caps to the lord of the Manor and some in the police seem to accomodate - I wish I was wrong!!

Day of action report -monitoring the Flint & Denbigh hunt at Cefn.January28th
2012

I was out monitoring the F & D in Cefn with two colleagues, Emma and Dafydd,
who were excellent!We drove round looking for the hunt, occasionally spotting them. After noticing that the hunt were
heading in our direction (by this time it was about 2/45) we decided to leave the car and clamber down into a covert.
We had just positioned ourselves down a steep muddy bank when suddenly a panic stricken fox came running out
of nowhere - it stopped briefly to look back (at the hounds chasing it) before running on. The hounds were just 20 seconds
behind this poor fox. We couldn't follow because this wood is set on a very steep and slippery muddy hillside,
overgrown with dense bramble - the river far below. Two riders could be seen below in a field beside the river (heading north
- the same direction as the hounds). The other riders were nowhere to be seen. The huntsman below was on his phone
as soon as he realised we had the hounds on camera. There is no way on Gods earth that this hunt could have followed
the hounds through this covert - it was too steep and covered in dense gorse and spikey bramble - so why send the
hounds through such dense cover if they could not possibly follow, unless they were fox hunting? Some of the hounds
were literally covered in blood and we did hear some terrible screaming/yelping and growling coming from two woods
earlier on in the day. Unfortunately we were too far away to see what was really happening, but I do believe a fox
was killed because the screaming was followed by a long mournful note on the horn, signifying a kill.Hunt
followers were out, but not many of them - some verbally abused us as ever, accusing us of being paedophiles, while
others just sniggered. A quad bike appeared with a very large man astride and upon seeing us he proceeded to tie a piece
of black plastic onto a piece of rope to simulate a trail - then later on this bit of plastic had been replaced by neatly
shredded plastic ribbons. Strange that he never laid a trail through the wooded areas where the hounds were being encouraged
to enter - yet he managed to lay them in a couple of fields, no doubt for our benefit, since he and his companions were
trying to get our attention by pointing at the bit of plastic being dragged through a small field - the hunt had long
gone by this time.The police officer I spoke to was about as much use as a chocolate fire guard - he just kept
telling methat the police could not take sides and that he believed the hunt were just trail hunting. In
other words I was fobbed off.There were around five quad bikes in the area - four left the entrance of Cefn
Estate in a convoy - two of them had terriers inside boxes, see picture. It worried me that they could
have had a dug out fox inside one of the boxes because they were seen disappearing towards the wooded area
where a little later we encountered a fox being chased. The fox was just feet away from us and the hounds not far
behind.

I am convinced the hunt were responsible for the killing
of two foxes in Cefn last Saturday and hunting a third near the hamlet of Wigfair, near Cefn. We heard the two kills
but couldn't see them - and as i pointed out above, we did hear the horn call that signalled a kill...a short time
later we saw two of the hounds, one with blood around its mouth, the other was drenched with blood
all over its body. It didn't look like their own because there were no obvious signs of injury.Three
female hunt followers were quick to point out that foxes needed to be controlled otherwise we would be overrun with them (such
ignorance, no doubt fed by their vile hubbies). Then they said that the hunt were only trail hunting so no foxes get
killed - so which is it ladies? Either the hunt are controlling foxes or they are just trail hunting??? These quite elderly
women also said that killing foxes using dogs, including terrier-work, was humane, and all the while tenderly
holding onto their pet dogs. Their excuse for showing selective compassion was that foxes are wild animals, so were fair
game!!!! One of the women proudly said that her husband was out with the hunt on his quad-bike. No doubt a terrier-man
- such kind people, eh?This hunt don't trail hunt (I wish) it is my view that they kill foxes
cruelly and for fun and it is just a matter of time before we gather sufficient evidence to prove this in a court
of law.Each time we monitor we discover a little more about this hunt - getting ever closer. Judi

Huntsman about to enter the hounds into a covert.

Riders waiting to see what the hounds flush out. of the covert.

Monitoring the hunt near Trefnant. Jan 2012If you ever needed proof that this hunt are not 'drag' hunting, then today was proof that they are
after foxes. I had been following them for a couple of hours and then arrived just in time to see the hunt turning
up at a place called The Green, near Denbigh. The hounds on this occasion were running alongside the whipper
in or huntsman and were heading for a wooded area close to where some hunt supporters were stood around watching.
I joined them, much to their disgust, and took my place by the gate to film the hunt. The huntsman reached the edge of
the field, then entered the hounds into the covert (see jpeg - left). There was no way the riders could have gone into
this cover because it contained ponds and a steep and densely covered copse. Plus, it backed
onto a very busy and fast main road. All the while the riders waited to see what the hounds might flush
out (see jpeg - right). When the whipper in saw me, he was straight onto his phone, I assumed to inform the huntsman
that I was filming the proceedings, and sure enough he was soon calling the hounds back out.This hunt
might have pulled the wool over the eyes of the police, but they don't fool me, I aim to do my utmost to prove they
are fox hunting, how ever long it takes. Judi

COMPLAINTS NEED TO MADE TO ESSEX POLICE FOR IGNORING BLATANT LAW BREAKING.

On the 12 December 2011 it was
reported that the Essex and Suffolk Hunt had invaded a garden in Bradfield and savaged a fox they had been chasing. A witness,
who himself is pro-hunt, stated that the fox had been clubbed to death by a huntsman.

As usual in such an incident
there is an immediate denial of wronging:

"They were hunting with a bird of prey and the pack accidentally
picked up on the scent of a fox which attracted the hounds... there was no offence committed on the hunt, which was legal."

This would be laughable if it came from a huntsman but staggeringly this quote is by a spokesman for Essex Police.

We
know that the Essex and Suffolk hunt are using a European Eagle Owl to try and carry on hunting by exploiting an exemption
in the Hunting Act relating to Falconry.This is the only form of exempt hunting where more than two dogs are
allowed to flush a wild mammal from cover. Eagle owls take small prey, generally up to the size of a rabbit. Theoretically
an eagle owl may take a small cub under certain circumstances, particularly if the owl did not appreciate the size of its
prey. However, this incident occurred in mid December. By this time of the year, foxes born in the spring are the same size
as, and very difficult to tell from, adult foxes. Effectively they are adult animals; fox cubs are born around March, and
small cubs (of the size that may be taken by an eagle owl) occur from May to early July, outside the foxhunting season.Eagle
owls are very difficult to get to hunt, and generally hunt best at dusk (or early morning) and only in quiet conditions: certainly
not near packs of hounds. This is clearly a deliberate abuse of the "falconry" provision listed under Schedule 1 of the
Hunting Act 2004 and clearly an offence has been committed

Whether they like
it or not, it is Essex Police’s responsibility to uphold all laws, however it appears they are failing in their sworn
duty in this case.

Please would everyone write to Essex Police to complain about
their lack of policing the hunt, even when there is overwhelming evidence that a crime has been committed here.Thanks,Judi

One of the snares attached to a log.

WAAC REPORT ON SNARINGOctober 29th
2011

I find it incomprehensible that snaring is still
allowed in the UK when other European countries have already banned these disgusting things many years ago.

We are supposed to be a nation of animal lovers leading the world on animal welfare issues but
when you dig beneath the surface you can see that Britain is lagging seriously behind some other more
enlightened countries. Britain should be showing the rest of the world that we are a civilised nation
but instead we show the world that we are clinging to the dark ages with grim determination?

Snares are used by shooting estates to protect factory farmed game birds from
foxes, but the persecution of animals just to protect birds which are just fodder for paying guns, is
quite frankly perverse. So called' legal' snares such as AB snares are
still extremely cruel because animals caught in them panic - they think they have been caught
by a predator, and so they will often injure themselves as they struggle in vain to free
themselves. This struggle for survival can last for many hours and in many cases days, so the terrible suffering imposed on any snared animal, be they fox, dog or cat, is phenomenal.
Some snared animals often end up strangling themselves. Plus many snares are set illegally on logs which means a snared
animal can drag the log away and end up dying a very slow and agonising death.

But any use of snares is
totally abhorrent!.

This is why we decided to start a petition to ban snares and
hopefully we will reach five thousand signatures before Christmas to then show local politicians
the public's condemnation to the use of these vile instruments of torture. Most members of the public were
quite shocked to hear that snares are being used on the Bodrhyddan Estate in North Wales.

Any member of the public who wants to sign the petition or help us get more signatures can
contact me personally at waac@rocketmail.com

WORLD DAY of ACTION for ANIMALSOctober 1st 2011

The weather
in Llandudno was wonderful and the sun certainly shone down on Mike Bird and partner Donna Hutton who organised the event
in Llandudno. I went along on behalf of WAAC to take Viva's message re their Cadbury calf campaign to
the public.We were joined by Sally Horne and Ruth Goldberg working on behalf of Animal Aid so all in all it was a good day
that gave the animals a voice.

Suzanne Cheatle, Jean Bennington and Judi Hewitt in Mold

REPORT FOR VIVA'S DAY OF ACTION.September
29th 2011

Wales Against Animal Cruelty paid a visit to Mold as
part of Viva's National Day of Action for dairy cows.

"We chose market
town Mold, to inform shoppers about the desperate plight of dairy cows and in particular male dairy calves because
these animals are being slaughtered just for being born the wrong sex, said WAAC spokesperson, Judi Hewitt.

Viva chose to target Cadbury's to hit home the message to the public that there is nothing kind about dairy.
Viva investigated 15 Cadbury farms and found problems which exist on every dairy farm. Over 100,000 male calves
are shot each year. Females are kept to replenish the herd but never see their mothers again. Selective breeding has
produced udders that have to carry up to 40Ibs weight or more before each milking - the result is excruciating diseases such
as mastitis and laminitis.

I was particularly upset by the story of one male calf - though
this happens to thousands of male calves every year - when a hunt worker arrived with his pick up truck already
laden with the bodies of freshly killed unwanted calves and a cow from another farm - animals destined to be fed to the hounds.
The calf calling for his mother was led out into the yard, falling over on wobbly legs, and was then lifted
onto the pile of bodies on the trailer and shot in the head. But what really got to me were the farmers words as he casually
told Viva's undercover investigator that this calf won't be bawling much longer. After
the calf had fallen on top of the bodies of other dead animals, the huntsman smiled back at the farmer,
before driving off.

These unwanted calves are the bi-product of a very cruel industry and
it is why we give up our time to help VIVA spread the message to the public - because only dairy customers can stop
the suffering.

Mike, Judi, Dafydd, Emma and Donna Hutton in Wrexham.

OUR 'FIRST' ANTI-HUNT CAMPAIGN OF THE SEASON HELD IN RHYL.Sept 17th 2011

(We campaigned in Wrexham the following week
- see jpeg).Campaigners against repeal of the hunting
act took to Rhyl High Street to remind the public why hunting with hounds was banned.

Trail hunting is still allowed in law and hunts that abide by
the rules have nothing to fear but other hunts have been found to be blatantly flouting the law and with the police
being so inactive, it means that only a few of us are out there trying to gather evidence of hunt cruelty and
law breaking. This is the reason there have so far been so few prosecutions against mounted and organised
hunts.

But we need to remind these hunts
that the law is the law and few things are more socially divisive than a group or gang of people who think the law does
not apply to them.

Councillor Brian Blakely
who supports our campaigns said, "It's time that this present government and the Crown Prosecution Service took the
ban seriously and understood that the majority of decent public citizens in this country want the ban to stay and they
want it to be enforced."

Wales Against Animal
Cruelty said, " For anyone who thinks that hunting is just about class hatred, they should go onto the internet and check
out IFAW's disturbing films that not only show hunt cruelty in the raw but also the bully boy tactics of
pro-hunt supporters towards anti-hunt monitors by trying to prevent monitors like me from gathering evidence of
law breaking."

Our campaign message is Hounds
Off our Wildlife We have fought too long and too hard for this vile cruelty to just carry on as though
there was no ban. Our hard earned efforts to stop hunt cruelty should not be ignored - too many animals depend on us so
we have to make it work. Judi

I've just been tipped off that Peterculter Golf Club have not only reinstated a member accused
of beating a fox to death...they also have a policy of fox culling in place, and kill around 4-5 foxes a year. This is a golf
club....why are they killing foxes? It's no wonder they didn't want to ban Forbes, he was essentially doing their
d...irty work for them. They have not only destroyed the habitat of the fox to build the club...but they are dispatching the
foxes as well. I think this needs to be brought up in the media and people on here should contact them to ask why they are
killing wildlife! The phone number is 01224 734994 and email is info@petercultergolfclub.co.uk

WAAC says - Thanks Alan for sending the video through; but this minister and indeed any minister that
supports cruelty and torture of wild animals are too drenched in the blood of innocent animals to have any
sensitivity that would force them to ban the use of wild animals in UK circuses.If they banned wild animals in
circuses it would scupper their plans to get back to legally killing foxes, deer and hares again. By using the ridiculous
licencing scheme mentioned for circus animals, means it could pave the way for them to licence hunts as well. In
other words, a bloody nonsense that would mean business as usual for vicious hunts.Judi

REPORT ON VIVA's CRACKED EGG CAMPAIGN.

Some members
of Wales Against Animal Cruelty took their vegan message to Denbigh (Friday 13th).

"Although
the weather was showery we were able to hand out 150 leaflets to passers by and post the remaining 150 through
letter boxes in the district. We were there to inform the public that up to 40 million male chicks get killed every
year because they are the wrong sex to lay eggs. Viva investigations exposed an industry that sends males
chicks down a conveyor belt to be either gassed or crushed in a machine called a macerator. Many people are not
aware that the egg on their breakfast table plays a major part in the deaths of up to 40 millions infant birds
a year and causes untold misery to hens that suffer both in intensive and many so called free range systems. We
hope that our event has at least raised awareness of this issue and also the health benefits of
a vegan diet."

WAAC activist campaigning outside Prestatyn and Rhyl polling station wearing badger
suit and holding neat little placard saying VOTE FOR ANN JONES TO STOP MASSACRE OF BADGERS IN WALES - good response
in both places and was invited into Rhyl High School to have photo taken with a teacher who is mad about badgers.
The Headmaster and the teacher signed LACS petition against the cull too - so all in all, a great day.
Plus Ann Jones AM retained her seat with over 4,000 votes over her Tory opponent. Well done Ann!.

PLAID'S
ELIN JONES WINS BACK HER SEAT, BUT LOST MANY VOTES BECAUSE OF BADGER CULL

Elin Jones AM, the Minister for Rural
Affairs in the last Welsh Assembly acknowledges that she lost votes due to her TB eradication policy:

“I
know that I have lost a significant number of votes in this election due to my TB eradication policy and I faced a concerted
campaign to oust me as the local AM by local anti-cull activists. However, this was never a one-issue referendum and I’m
pleased that the people of Ceredigion recognised this and re-elected me on the basis of my hard work on their behalf”.(From Tivyside Online.)

A PAC supporter sent me this analysis of the results in Elin Jones’ constituency):

Compared
with 2007 – the last election

Elin Jones Plaid lost 2798 votes i.e.
19% of her 2007 total.

Lost 7.9% share of the vote – 49% - 41%

National loss to Plaid was 3.1%.Elin Jones loss was
7.9% so had a significantly greater swing against HER than Plaid had Nationally.

Labour and Greens both anti cull, picked up 4058 votes compared with 1530 in 2007 (Greens didn’t
stand in 2007).

Looked at another way:Pro cull vote
12020

Anti cull
vote 17056

The analyser concludes ‘ the PAC campaign in Ceredigion
had some effect’ and as I wrote earlier acknowledged by Elin Jones.

As a personal addendum I wonder how many votes Elin Jones lost Plaid throughout Wales?

The 17000 respondents to the badger cull consultation who were completely ignored
by Elin Jones (as they were in the earlier consultation) are the type of people who would turn up to vote but hardly likely
to vote Plaid when their voice wasn’t heard.

Derek

Marching for the badgers in Aberystwyth

OUR FIGHT TO SAVE THE BADGERS

Wales Against Animal Cruelty supported Dyfed activists against the cull in a procession
for badgers through the busy streets of Aberystwyth yesterday, April 30th. A mock funeral was also help for
badgers which are destined to be wiped out in Pembrokeshire in the coming weeks/months. The grim reaper marched ahead
of the crowd to serve as a warning that badgers face extinction in Wales if the Welsh Assembly does not overturn their 'unscientific'
culling policy.

I know we keep harping on about this but how many
more innocent badgers are going to have to die and how much more public money do we have to throw away before
those in power finally understand that wiping out badgers out from large area's will not make any meaningful difference
to bTB in cattle, in the long run.Time
is short now - so please do these animals a favour and let the public see how their vote this Thursday can make all the
difference. Voting for their anti-cull AM's will send a stark message to the Welsh Assembly Government that
they must start to listen to the public who elect them. Remember £50 million has already been spent in a pilot
cull that killed thousands of harmless badgers.

Well, it's a very worrying time for us with the decision on the cull coming
so soon - next Wednesday in fact. This is why we took our campaign to Rhyl and Llandudno in one day. It
is really important that we get the message out to the public ASAP that they need to contact
their AM's urgently by telephone or email, to try to persuade Elin Jones not to go ahead with her unscientific
cull of badgers.

We are urging the public to contact their own respective AM's to voice their opposition
the cull that we hope will send a stark reminder to Elin Jones that she has a duty to respect the Welsh Assembly
Governments public consultation, that showed 4;1 against the cull.

Betty
Lee from Clwyd Badger Group said, "It is appalling to have a Minister being less than candid about this important
information. If the vote goes against the campaign to save badgers from a needless cull, then we need new AM's that
will listen to the science."

Ann Jones AM, an
opponent of the cull said, "I will be voting against this unnecessary cull".

Judi Hewitt said, It seems Elin Jones doesn't give a damn about public opinion and is intent on killing
thousands of healthy badgers to appease her friends in the farming lobby. This is unjustifiable cruelty on a massive
scale that will do nothing to prevent bTB in the long term. It seems we are heading for a countryside devoid of wildlife,
is this what we want for our children?

Rev Thompson had this
say, " As a retired cleric and campaigner for the rights of animals for many years, I am dismayed
and disgusted that Elin Jones, a Christian herself, could put forward such a callous proposal that will nothing
to halt TB and will cause untold suffering to badgers and other wildlife caught up in the killing frenzy."

Why
are the papers staying silent on the issue of fox hunting? Since the ban most of the press appear to be overwhelmingly pro-hunt
and this has not gone un-noticed by the people who read the papers.

Hunts are still hunting the traditional way and the police are doing nothing to stop them. Yes,
they are happy to take any evidence presented to them by hunt monitors - but according to my colleagues in the South
of England, who have plenty of hunt monitors, and so regularly show film footage of illegal hunting to the police,
this is just never enough, even though it is very good evidence.

Hunts are still using terrier-men complete with quad bikes, dogs, drain rods and spades
and these thugs for want of a better description, intimidate and terrorise anyone who dares to try and film
them.

Foxes are still dying a very cruel death at the hands
of hunters that refuse to stop their savagery. Clearly the ban needs to be strengthened, but whilst former
fox hunter now prime-minister David Cameron remains in power this is never going to happen. So we have
to remind hunters that though the press seems reluctant to talk about the cruelty inherent in fox hunting, we won't stop
until we achieve our goal - we will continue in our endeavour to put pressure onto any future 'decent' government
that will hopefully have the courage to finally put an end to hunt brutality.

The police meanwhile just pay lip service to what is essentially
anarchy in the countryside. According to my sources, they do nothing about reports of illegal hunting even when people
ring them up to say they've seen it happening The police always respond to this by telling any
concerned citizen that the hunt have already informed the police that they are just trail hunting, and the
bizarre thing is - the police believe it!.

But the public are not fooled
by this statement - it's demoralising for us and reinforces the view that hunters really are above the law.

And though many now believe that the hunt ban is safe, while Mr Cameron occupies number
ten, our wildlife remain in grave peril - not least because any hope of getting the ban strengthened is never going
to happen under his leadership.

And another damning indictment of this
new government is the fury his government unleashed on one of their own, Commons Speaker John Bercow, who dared
to speak out against fox hunting after previously being a hunt supporter. He was attacked viciously in the press
by his own party. In fact they wanted rid of him as speaker! In my view, had he spoken in defence of killing with
hounds, he would never have received this same vitriol by his scornful critics.

But by and large, it's been a rotten year so far for our wildlife - not only have
they had a severe winter to contend with but also a powerful hunting/shooting lobby eager to take
what nature had missed. And just to cap it all, we have 'he who shall not be named' hell bent on gathering
enough death eaters to finally get his wish to repeal the hunting act.

The
Prime Minister yesterday gave his clearest commitment yet to repealing the ban on hunting and promised a Commons
vote within "months".

David Cameron said that while there were "more important things" than
hunting for MPs to deal with, he reaffirmed his opposition to a ban that became a totem of the Labour Government's 13
years in power.

In a message to the thousands of hunt supporters across the Westcountry who campaigned for pro-hunt
MPs at last May's General Election, Mr Cameron pledged that a vote on the issue would happen "in the months to come".

The
issue has cooled within Westminster, but pressure is still strong among the grass roots in the countryside for a repeal of
the ban, particularly as prosecutions of hunts in the West continue.

Mr Cameron said: "The promise was made that the House of Commons will have an opportunity to vote on repeal
and we will have that vote.

"There are more important things for us to deal with, but it is important that we keep
to that promise," he said.

"Everyone knows that the Hunting Act isn't working, it is a bad piece of legislation
and I repeat my commitment that when the vote happens in the months to come, I will be voting for repealing the legislation."

Sneaky Elin
Jones!!

Monday 31st January 2011:

To: Press, Welsh AMs, Other Organisations, Supporters
with email

WHAT IS GOING ON?

The Minister for Rural Affairs Elin Jones is currently reviewing the
thousands of responses to a consultation on a Badger Control Strategy for a defined area of west Wales (IAA) prior to making
a final decision, and has allegedly not yet done so. Despite this, pro-vaccination group Pembrokeshire Against the
Cull have been told by landowners from around the proposed badger cull area in west Wales, that Welsh Assembly Government
officials have already arranged for local vets to carry out badger sett surveys on their land in preparation for placing cage
traps for a cull.

Bio security visits are normally arranged by Vets to discuss ways to reduce risks
of cattle catching TB from a variety of sources. It does not normally include a sett survey and as yet there is no legal
requirement to show anyone badger setts.

In addition it has been suggested that culling may be happening
outside the Intensive Action Area which is extremely worrying. A few months ago the Minister told PAC that she is not in favour
of issuing licences for individual reactive culls covering only small areas as this is known to increase the risk of bTB breakdowns
in adjacent areas and spreads infection in wildlife.

Pembrokeshire against the Cull chair Celia Thomas
said “We are currently trying to obtain clarification of the situation from Elin Jones the Minister for Rural Affairs
as it appears that preparatory work for a cull may have started before the consultation and all the legislative and legal
processes have been completed. Until we receive a response from The Minister, we are advising land owners who are contacted
or visited by anyone wanting to carry out badger sett surveys to ask for, and verify where possible with WAG:

official identification

written details of what actions will be taken and
why (e.g. testing, vaccination or slaughter of trapped badgers)

a license for trapping
badgers, without which this is illegal

details of the powers under which this action
will be taken.

Landowners are reminded that until an Order is passed giving WAG the
right to force entry onto private land to slaughter badgers, there is no obligation to allow WAG officials access to survey
or trap badgers.”

Demonstrators set
to out-fox cruel vet in Cupar

At 12 noon on 26thJanuary, a peaceful demonstration will be held outside the Eden Veterinary Practice in
Cupar to deliver a message to vet Keith Talbot, the press and public.

On Boxing Day 2010, Eden vet Keith Talbot trapped and killed two foxes in Maidstone, Kent and proceeded to
boast to local press about his victory.

Talbot justified his actions by claiming the animal he killed was ‘twice the size of a normal fox’ and had
been responsible for the death of his parents’ 19-year-old cat.

Stories such as this strike fear into the public and rightly so, but are they true? Were Talbot’s
actions justified? Is it a coincidence that since pro-hunting Prime Minister David Cameron came to power, ‘monster’
foxes have suddenly appeared on our streets?

All about Keith, the ‘killer fox’ and Cameron:

·Keith Talbot is a member of ‘Veterinary Association
for Wildlife Management’ formerly known as ‘VETS FOR HUNTING’

·The
killings took place at the same time as the Fieldsports Channel launched a competition that challenged viewers to ‘kill
the largest fox in Britain’

·The ‘giant fox’ was only seen next to the
remains of the elderly cat. Wildlife expert John Bryant states that because foxes are scavengers, yes, they would have fed
on the 19-year-old’s remains but not killed it

·Talbot did NOT see the fox kill the cat

·As well as running a cattery, Bryant used to take in injured foxes. The foxes never ONCE displayed aggression
toward his feline guests

·DAVID CAMERON
is a well-known supporter of blood sports. Pre-election, he promised to repeal the Labour-led ban on hunting
with dogs. There are more MPs against hunting that supportive of it. Cameron needs support, and quick...

Talbot’s scare story
and others like it are putting a new fear of foxes into the general public; unbalanced stories which do not allow the public
to make their own minds up.

On 26th January at 12noon, the demonstration outside Eden Veterinary Practice
aims to set the record straight. Dressed in furry fox costumes, demonstrators will be handing out leaflets and talking with
the press, Eden customers and locals to redress the balance and reveal the TRUE facts.

·Culling does not resolve the perceived problem of urban foxes.
Kill a fox, and another will move into its lair. There are non-harmful methods available for the ‘moving on’ of
these shy but intelligent creatures

·Surveys have shown that there is NO evidence to prove the urban
fox population has increased in the past 20 years

·Only 16% of foxes live in our cities, the rest dwell in rural
areas

·Foxes that are hunted in rural areas actively shun human contact and are therefore rarely seen

·Foxes are not turning into oversized ‘monsters’. The Harper Asprey Rescue Centre states that their average
body length is between 50 and 90cm

·Despite Talbot claiming that one of his trophy foxes weighed in at 26.5kg, the
Maidstone-based Fox Project has confirmed that – based on over the 7000 foxes it has taken in across two decades –
not one has weighed above 18kg.

Vet Keith Talbot is obviously one of those vets than goes
into the veterinary profession practice to make pots of money. Care for the animals doesn't even come into it - it's
a business that can charge what the hell it likes! But some vets like this one take their power too far and use
their position to deliberately abuse animals for publicity. Are they so desperate to get back to using a pack of dogs for
ripping an animal apart that they will resort to lies? Whatever happened to vets that went into the profession because
they cared about animals?Plus what on earth were the family of that cat doing leaving it out all night at the age of
nineteen? It must have died of hypothermia not helped by failing kidneys, and was then predated on by a fox (if it was
a fox?). The owners should be charged with neglecting their cat. Judi

Science
does not support a cull of badgers. Badgers are part of our rich ecosystem and should be left alone.

NEW CAMPAIGN BEGINS, TO STOP BADGER CULL IN WALES

Spokeswoman for Clwyd Badger Group Betty Lee, joined forces with some members of Wales Against Animal Cruelty
to urge the public to sign a very important consultation document that had been drafted by the Welsh Assembly
and copied by the Pembrokeshire Against the Cull to take to the streets and so allow the public a chance to take part
and add their voice. This makes it impossible for the Welsh Assembly to ignore public concerns.

Betty Lee, a conservationist, and an expert on badgers, was on hand to speak with members of the public. Mrs
Lee had this to say about the current situation," The Welsh Assembly Government still wish to press ahead with a badger cull even though they were defeated
in court by the Badger Trust.. The Welsh Assembly are now using public consultation to find what support there
is in Wales for a badger cull? The consultation is open to all but has been addressed mainly to the farming community.
Pembrokeshire Against the Cull
have made their response by covering the two main points of concern to those of us against a cull because killing badgers will have no
positive effect on bTB and also because the police having the power to enter land to facilitate the killing of badgers against the land owner’s
wishes."

Founder of WAAC and a VIVA supporter Judi
Hewitt speaking on behalf of Viva said, " How many times do we have to remind the Government in both England and Wales
that £50 million spent on a 10 year independent investigation by top Scientists (ISG) concluded that although some badgers
do have TB, it is not easily passed on to others. The irony is that it was cattle who spread the disease in
the first place because it was unheard of in badgers before the 1950's. Badgers are now being made scapegoats by the
farming unions who refuse to believe in the science.

Modern
intensive farming is at the root of this terrible disease and so until people recognize that cattle are not mere machines
to abuse, this and other terrible diseases will continue to plague these poor animals and those who farm them."

It was heartwarming to see that even on such a freezing cold day, the people
of Rhyl were willing stop to add their voice to the protest."

EVIL OLLERTON HUNT IS STILL BAGGING
FOXES TO CHASE AND RIP APART.

I was sent the account below yesterday by one of my contacts
who has given me permission to forward it. It speaks for itself, illustrating the way the hunters are hunting as before the
ban with the support of the police. All this and these barbarous people are backed by the Westminster political
establishment of all three main parties.

This
barbarism will shortly be dressed up as the 'Middle Way' and under 'self regulation'. We must defeat them.

-----------------------------

Just thought I'd let you know that we went out sabbing today in Ollerton and the hunt were very threatening to
us from the outset - I was tripped over by a horse and another sab was knocked on head by a rider. Apparently someone seen
they had a fox in a bag and released it to chase. Before we had a chance to properly sab them, the police, who had been telling
us to leave the area or we'd be arrested (for no reason), chased us across a field with an Alsatian and led us into a
trap between 2 dog handlers - basically no matter which way we'd have turned, we'd have been chased by the dogs. They
held us in this trap while they investigated 'aggravated trespass' claims (for about 2 hours). By the end of it, about
17 police vans/cars had turned up, as well as a police helicopter. The police themselves were typical pro hunt cops...one
even went 'haven't you's got anything better to do?' (haven't they got any real criminals to catch?).
Apparently they told the hunt to pack in as well, cause they were concerned about 'breach of the peace' between the
two groups. Whether they did actually tell the hunt to quit, I don't know - but I'd be surprised if they did...I think
they held us for 2 hours simply to allow the hunt to carry on.

By the end of it, we all had to give in our details
and have our photographs taken (or face arrest, of which 3 sabs were).

The inspector responsible for it all was
named 'Ford'. I may actually write to my MP about it. At the stage we were held for 2 hours we were on a public footpath
(not on private property). The way we were treated, as well as the fact the police ignored an illegal hunt involving a fox
which was previously captured and released, is completely unacceptable. Also, how can the police justify 17 vans/cars, a helicopter,
and 2 police dogs...when people are murdered they use less resources, yet this was a case of 'breach of the peace'.

These evil hunt criminals continue to be protected by the police - we should
all make complaints about this to the relevent authorities and spread the word to the publicJudi

TAKE HEED ANTI-HUNT LOBBY

Exactly
as predicted, they are gearing up to repeal the Act on the back of the so-called 'Middle Way' of 'self-regulation'
and a sham wild mammals protection bill. This will take them a year to put in place and by then they will have the numbers
and the whole thing rolled out the public in a great propaganda exercise. We underestimate these people at our peril.

In some quarters people have been saying repeal is off the table but the total opposite is the case.

The next 12 months are make or break and a massive campaign must be put in place to alert the public and MPs to
this huge con trick.

Chris

------------------

'A list has been drawn up of people thought to be persuadable - and they are being wined and
dined.'

One of the MPs involved in the operation
said that it would take at least another year before enough people have been won over, which is why no vote is being planned
before early 2012. '

An indication
of how deep the bloodsports influence in Parliament now goes (and how bad generally things have got) can be seen
from the fact that theChairman of the Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare(APGAW)
is now a staunchly pro hunting and pro badger killing MP

He is Neil Parish, a Tory MP. He was a South West MEP for 10 years and was elected
MP for Tiverton in Devon at the 2010 election - let alone that he's now Chair of APGAW. He's on the Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee.

This man:- (and none of this is on the APGAW website, surprise surprise)

1/ Comes from a Somerset dairy farming family and managed the family farm until he took up politics.

2/ Has told LACS he will vote for Hunting Act repeal.

3/
He supports the proposed badger cull in England.

4/ He has endorsed publicly
the CA 'Oscars', two of which are given for [senior and junior] 'Hunter hero of the Year'.

5/ He put in a written Commons question recently, complaining that farmers wanting to move livestock
faced 'too much bureaucracy'. [You'll remember it was largely the ease and frequency of such movements that
turned the F&M outbreak from a local smoulder to a national inferno]

6/
He was photographed happily barbecuing meat to promote food poisoning awareness for the FSA.

7/ Despite an associated profession of concern for animal welfare, he supported the nightmarish Nocton plans
for its super-large herd intensive cattle farm in Lincolnshire, in a piece on the site.

9/ He is a very keen supporter and
promoter of meat production and consumption. He criticised Lord Stern, who headed the last Government's Climate Change
Review and authored its widely-respected report, for saying that large-scale livestock farming was unsustainable.

Parish takes particular exception to this para from Stern:-

“Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates
a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts enormous pressure on the world’s resources. A vegetarian diet is better.”

Parish retorts:-

"I could not disagree more.
If an individual wants to choose not to eat meat for personal reasons, fine. But for a senior scientist to victimise British
livestock farmers and to encourage consumers to boycott British meat and dairy products is irresponsible."

I'm sure
you will not be happy about having a hunt and badger cull supporter chairing any 'Animal Welfare'
Group?!

Going that way it seems:- the Treasurer of APGAW is
none other than Lord Soulsby, the pro-hunt vet who spearheaded the effort to rubbish the Bateson Report on deer hunting.

Disturbingly,
the secretariat support for APGAW is provided by the RSPCA.What is clear is that this group is an establishment rubber
stamp for the commodification of animals,not to mention the sheer hypocrisy of any group claiming to be supportive of
animal welfare being chaired by a supporter of bloodsports and badger culling.PLEASE PUBLICISE AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE.THANKS

This article at least picks up on the 'regulatory authority' plans.(OTHERWISE KNOWN AS GOVERNMENT BACK STABBING)

'The Countryside Alliance, which opposes the ban, hopes
the creation of a new Hunting Regulatory Authority under the chairmanship of the Labour peer Lord Donoughue will convince
waverers that the hunting community accepts it cannot go back to life as it was before the ban.'

I maintain that we are now at point of greatest
danger because the CA are a ruthless machine and the new legislation will be introduced sooner rather than later.I have it
on very good authority that this plan is at advanced stages of development. It will win over significant numbers of wavering
MPs (which it is designed to do) and if passed it will snooker us for generations.

Bear
in mind also that even some new intake wavering Labour MPs may be won to the hunt side because a senior Labour
Peer is involved.There are at least three Labour Peers the higher echelons of the CA and they closely involved in the current
plans.

A lot of softening up will be being done.

Many Lib Dems who are in two minds but currently in the anti hunt camp
will see it as a good 'compromise'.Many Conservatives who are currently anti hunt will be offered a way to please
their leadership whilst at the same time appearing to have backed something that will 'not bring back hunting as it was.' It
is of course the mother of all lies. The truth will be smothered in the deceit that is at the centre of hunting.

Day in and day out the CA will be quietly but effectively
turning the numbers in their favour with this new plan.

Cameron was put in place
with hunt money, hedge fund billionaires with links to some of the biggest hunts in the country.These people are not in the
business of fading away and waiting for five years to see what happens or simply rolling over and accepting defeat.

They will role out their new 'regulatory authority' and do loads of propaganda, making it all
appear terribly reasonable and that they have 'changed'.

In fact it is
like the Mafia taking over policing.

We
must alert the public to this massive and looming threat and without delay. It is not sensible or clever to be making
the public feel the danger has passed or is diminishing.

Chris

World Animal Day of Action.

Mike Bird and Donna Hutton held their 'World
Animal Day of Action' campaign in Llandudno, North Wales.The event was one of many being staged all over the world. Many animal cruelty issues were mentioned in the day of action, including the dreaded badger cull, the threat
to the hunting act by the Coalition government, animal experiments and the terrible on going live export trade.The
event was supported by Sally Horne from West Wales Animal Aid, WAAC's Judi Hewitt and activist Emma Thomas.

Wales Against Animal Cruelty take part in Brian May's 'Save
Me' campaign to Llandudno.

Brian May's Save Me campaigns
are being held all over Britain in a day of action supported by VIVA, LACS and Animal Aid and other
smaller groups opposed the return of barbaric hunting.

Wales
Against Animal Cruelty have pledged to take in all North Wales towns to ask the public for help in reminding
the Coalition not to repeal the hunting act. We've already campaigned in Rhyl and Wrexham and there will more
to follow as the weeks and months go by - or at least until the Coalition get the message that the public are opposed to any return
to cruelty.

The message from many people in Llandudno was
that any U-turn would be heartbreaking for animals lovers. There were tears in the eyes of some people as they
looked at our banners - surely these people have rights as citizens of this country to enjoy wildlife without having
to witness a hunting minority brutalising animals on their doorstep. Most of those in distress at the prospect of
a return to hunting were country people shopping in Llandudno.

Wales Against Animal Cruelty take part in Brian
May's 'Save Me' campaign, on national day of action.

Brian
May's Save Me campaigns are being held all over Britain in a day of action supported by VIVA, Animal
Aid, LACS and smaller groups like WAAC, opposed the return of barbaric hunting.

Wales Against Animal Cruelty did their part by taking to the streets of Wrexham to remind the public
that the threat to the hunt ban is very real.

It is inconceivable that
the only decent legislation ever brought in to protect our foxes, deer and hares is being threatened by a government riddled
with Countryside Alliance members and supporters.

We intend sending a strong message
to MP's of all parties that destruction of the hunting act is not an option. It took over 80yrs of hard fought for
legislation to get this one small step for our wildlife, so we will not let these animals down. Repeal is not an option
- it would be a disaster in terms of animal welfare if the pro-hunt Tories got their way.

The Lib Dems 'were' opposed to repeal before the general election but since gaining power seem
to be in the pockets of their Tory masters and so have now betrayed their voters by agreeing to a free vote
that could see terrible cruelty brought back to our countryside.

People died trying
to defend the foxes from hunt brutality so any U turn is unthinkable. It would be an insult to the memory of these brave souls and
the moral cause they stood for.

We're supposed to be a civilised society -
but a return to cruelty would mean we are still savages.

Brian May's
campaign needs every animal lover in this country to add their voice to the protest. They can do this by logging
onto his Save Me website or by contacting VIVA, Animal Aid or LACS and then signing their on-line
petition.

Postcards are also available from Viva and Animal Aid.

Please don't let our foxes, deer and hares down - no animal deserves to be hunted until
they're so exhausted and frothing at the mouth that they can no longer move. No animal deserves to be ripped
apart for fun.Special thanks to Labour party candidate Donna Hutton, for
supporting the event.Grateful thanks to best campaign group VIVA, for the material (postcards,
posters, fox masks) used in our campaign.Judi

HUNTS BREAKING THE LAW - CUB HUNTING IN DORSET 2010

HUNT
SABS HAVE JUST PUT THIS FOOTAGE UP ONTO YOUTUBE. IT MAY NOT SHOW MUCH TO THE PUBLIC, BUT ANYONE WHO UNDERSTANDS
HUNTING WILL KNOW.

MESSAGE FROM ED MILIBAND - PLEASE SUPPORT HIM!"I fully support the ban
on hunting with dogs which was a milestone in animal welfare law. The chasing and killing of these wild animals for so-called
sport has no place in a civilised society. If I am elected leader I will vigorously defend the ban and fight any attempt
to repeal it by the coalition government.'

----

If you are a member of the Labour
party or an affiliated union then please join me in giving your first preference vote to Ed.

ANTI-HUNT CAMPAIGN TO BE HELD IN WREXHAM - SEPT 18th 2010

Hi All,

Have decided our next campaign will be in Wrexham on the 18th Sept. This is a national campaign regarding
defence of the hunting act, so need all available people to take part. If you know of anyone who would give us a
couple of hours, then that would be great! The foxes, deer and hares need our help and they need it now more than
ever!

Ask anyone you know who cares about protecting the ban to come along and to be
part of the campaign. I hope to have fox masks and leaflets from Viva and I also have my own up to date banners, so
your presence at the demo is all that is needed. If you want to make a small donation to Viva, then that's
up to you - it will help towards their costs.

PLEASE PERSUADE OTHER GOOD PEOPLE TO
COME ALONG, EVEN IF YOU CAN'T.

JudiXXXX

A NEW ANTI-HUNT CAMPAIGN BEGINS, TO HIGHLIGHT THE CONTINUED THREAT TO HUNT BAN.

Wales Against Animal Cruelty began their new campaign drive starting in Rhyl, to highlight
the continued threat to the hunt ban by the new Coalition Government.

August
is traditionally cub-hunting season that sees many cubs killed by hounds. Hunts need to train young hounds to become
efficient killers and fox cubs are easy prey for their hounds because they're inquisitive young animals that
have not learnt to be wary. This is why most foxes killed by hunts are cubs butchered in their first year.

The new Conservative/Lib Dem coalition are being very cagey about when MPs will have the chance to vote on a parliamentary motion that will decide whether
to hold a free vote on the ban. This is why we are campaigning now to make the public aware that hunting is still very much
on the Tories political agenda. The cabinet is mostly made up of pro-hunt supporters, some even hunt themselves,
so it's imperative that we keep the hunting issue alive in the public mind so that they are aware of the risk to this
hard fought for legislation. It did after all take over eighty years to bring about.

We intend taking our campaign message for stronger enforcement
of the hunting act to every major town in North and Mid Wales and we also will be urging our South Wales colleagues
to do likewise. This is one law that should not be destroyed by this new Government which is riddled with
hunters - it should be strengthened.

Dear Friends,

Following the recent
historic ban on carted stag hunting in Ireland, campaigners against blood sports are hopeful that the Irish government will
follow up this achievement by banning the horrific practise of live hare coursing, in which hares are used as live bait in
contests between competing greyhounds.

Thousands of hares are
captured annually in Ireland for this “pastime”…to be chased and terrorised in wired enclosures for “fun”
and “entertainment”. Many are mauled to death; others die of stress-related ailments or internal injuries after
being released back into the wild following the coursing events.

Other hares, mainly the ones deemed unsuitable
for coursing, are used to “blood” dogs as part of their training. This involves feeding them live to greyhounds.
The greyhounds also suffer injury, ill-treatment, and neglect in coursing.

A decision will be made
by the Irish government shortly (at some point before the end of August) on whether to permit yet another season of this barbaric
blood sport. The hare-coursing season itself, if allowed to go ahead, would begin in the final week of September.

The Irish government is
sensitive to outside opinion as tourism is one of our most lucrative industries, so messages from abroad can influence the
decision.

Can you congratulate Ireland’s Environment Minister John Gormley
on his achievement in banning carted stag hunting…a brief message will suffice…And ask him to now consider banning live hare coursing in Ireland?

Following an alert of a pub in East Yorkshire selling pies containing
hare during the 1 March - 31 July prohibited period we had an excellent response from David Jenkins,Force
Deputy Director (Wildlife Crime) of Humberside Police. The incident eventually proved to be a genuine oversight on the part
of the pub concerned.Speaking of his other work on wildlife protection David said:“Humberside
Police now run a very proactive response to all poaching, particularly day time hare coursing and we are already in preparation
for the next "season" which is not too far away! Our new Poaching Policy will be in place along with improved training
for staff. Force Wildlife Crime co-ordinators will be meeting later this month and we intend to co-ordinate a Regional response
to targeting offenders who cross County borders. This region will include every Force north of Lincs, Derbyshire up to Scotland.
We also operate very closely with Farmwatch members and run a fast text messaging system to alert all members to offenders
vehicles. This has proved to be extremely effective. We also take positive action against offenders.”

Leveret upsets domestic chores!Linda Fisher e-mailed us recently to say she has a leveretin her garden which has
made its form against one of the trees and seems to be around for most of the day.Linda said: “I
don’t know much about hares but am amazed that this leveret sleeps in the same place every day. It means that mowing
the lawn and hanging washing out is severely restricted - but worth it.”

Police success against hare coursing

PC Paul Marina, who works in the North
Herts rural area has reduced coursing incidents by 70 per cent since 2003.PC Marina, who has worked
for the police for 27 years and is considered one of the country’s top hare coursing authorities, has a 100 per cent
conviction rate once the illegal coursers are prosecuted in court. He said: "We operate a zero tolerance policy."When I started, there were around 120 incidents related to hare coursing every year. Last year there were 24.Last year, out of 26 call-outs, we arrested 13 people, of which, 12 were convicted or cautioned in connection with
hare coursing."It is heartening to hear of this success against a barbaric pastime which Harold
Wilson attempted to ban in 1969 and 1975 with support from no less a Conservative than Margaret Thatcher on both occasions.

More snaring
incidents

A
missing dog was found alive recently after surviving three weeks trapped by her neck in a crude wire snare in Abbottsford,
East London.The “miracle” golden retriever, Rosebud, is thought to have survived by drinking
dew from the leaves of plants around her.Also, a badger found wounded in a snare in the Scottish borders
has been treated for its injuries at the Royal Dick Veterinary Hospital in Edinburgh and released back into the wild by the
Scottish SPCA.These shocking incidents show, yet again, the indiscriminate nature and cruelty of snares
and they must be banned.

All that is necessary for
the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

HPTPO Box 70Crediton EX17 4ZQinfo@hare-preservation-trust.co.uk

Panorama on BBC1 tomorrow evening at 7 is on the 'fox attack'.

No doubt it will be biased! Hope I'm proved wrong! Our poor much misunderstood foxes
are already the most persecuted animals on earth.Judi

From
the CA website

EU animal welfare survey - please
take part

Thursday, 24 June 2010

The European Commission has commissioned a public opinion survey on European animal welfare policy, and it is important that
all those with an interest take part. Called “Evaluation of the EU Policy on Animal Welfare” the survey closes
on 31 July 2010 (click here to take part). Question 11(i) asks whether or not it is important that the EU is involved in animal welfare
policy for wild animals. The UK branch of European hunting federation, FACE, of which the Countryside Alliance is a member,
believes Member States should decide what animal welfare rules should apply to wild animals, not the EU. Answering Question
11(i) "strongly disagree" will make it clear that animal welfare in respect of wild animals should remain a matter
for individual Member States.

NB When participating in the survey, apart from the first page,
you do not have to answer any question if you don’t want to. Your response can be submitted whether you answer one or
all the questions posed.

LUSH CRITICISED FOR HELPING HSA - Hunt Saboteurs Association.

NATIONAL
MEDIA, LESS THAN TRUTHFUL - so what's new?

Not a headline ever likely to be seen,
but far more accurate than those published. Here is a much more honest summary, but far too boring for the media.

June 16th 2010

The Advertising Standards Authority dismissed almost all of the
complaints concerning the LUSH/HSA campaign.

1/ The campaign did not unfairly denigrate hunts
and hunters;

2/ the claim "a whopping 75% of the population want to see hunting with
hounds remain a criminal activity" is substantiated by evidence;

3/ the claims "Hunting
hounds usually lead short lives and are often killed ... when they are no longer useful" and "When hounds are no
longer useful to the hunt, they are usually killed ..." were substantiated by evidence from the Burns Report. This quoted
the CA and MFHA confirming that foxhounds were often put down when they were no longer useful to a hunt, which at the time
was estimated to be around 3,000 hounds a year.

4/ the videos offered were not misleading;

5/ the claims "Scientific studies show that hunting with hounds plays an 'insignificant' part of
regulating fox numbers" and "Scientific reports indicate that hunting with hounds plays an 'insignificant'
role in controlling fox numbers" were substantiated by evidence.

The only claims considered to be insufficiently substantiated were

1/ the
implication that hunts were intentionally and regularly breaking the law

2/ the implication
that the Hunting Act was not being properly enforced

3/ "Hunting hounds usually
lead short lives and are often killed and fed back to the pack when they are no longer useful" and "When hounds
are no longer useful to the hunt, they are usually killed and their bodies sometimes get fed back to the pack"

The adjudication is here but it is also copied immediately below with some comments in blue by me - Peter B.

Issue

129 complainants raised a number of different
issues. They challenged whether:

2. the
claim "... a whopping 75% of the population want to see hunting with hounds remain a criminal activity" in ad (c)
was misleading and could be substantiated;

NOT UPHELD

3. ads (a), (b) and (c) misleadingly implied that hunts were intentionally and regularly breaking the law;
UPHELD,not surpisingly, as though it is true, the evidence is not sufficient.

4. ads (a), (b) and (c) misleadingly implied that the Hunting Act was not being properly enforced; UPHELD,
not surprisingly. I believe it to be unenforceable when the rabble falsely claim to be trail hunting. And similarly for
beagling when they claim they are chasing rabbits or whatever, and mink hunts claim to be hunting rats or whatever. The three
deer hunts are claiming research and observation. The Act is enforceable in respect of coursing, and many convictions indicate
that it is being enforced.

5. ads (a) and (c) misleadingly implied that any form of hunting
with dogs was illegal; NOT UPHELD

6. the claims
"Hunting hounds usually lead short lives and are often killed and fed back to the pack when they are no longer useful"
in ad (a) and "When hounds are no longer useful to the hunt, they are usually killed and their bodies sometimes get fed
back to the pack" in ad (c) were misleading and could be substantiated; UPHELD BUT
only because of the small part relating to the claim of feeding dead hounds back to the pack. The major part was
NOT UPHELD See this extract from the adjudication. We noted the Report quoted the CA and
MFHA confirming that foxhounds were often put down when they were no longer useful to a hunt, which at the time was estimated
to be around 3,000 hounds a year. We therefore considered that
the claims "Hunting hounds usually lead short lives and are often killed ... when they are no longer useful" in
ad (a) and "When hounds are no longer useful to the hunt, they are usually killed ..." in ad (c) were unlikely to
mislead.That is not something the rabble wish people to know about.

7. the leaflet (a) and online sales promotion (c) were irresponsible, because claims such as "If you want to
get involved in direct action ..." in (a) and "... the hunt sabs take direct action to save animals ..." in
(c), promoted direct action against hunts and were likely to provoke violence; NOT
UPHELD

8. the videos on the online sales promotion (c) were misleading because
it was unclear whether they were filmed before the Hunting Act came into force; NOT UPHELD

9. the claims "Scientific studies show that hunting with hounds plays an 'insignificant' part of regulating
fox numbers" in ad (a) and "Scientific reports indicate that hunting with hounds plays an 'insignificant'
role in controlling fox numbers" in ad (c) were misleading and could be substantiated. NOT
UPHELD

Assessment

1. Not upheld

The ASA considered that it was clear that the focus of ads (a), (b) and
(c) was on the 2004 Hunting Act and the illegal hunting of foxes with hounds, rather than on all hunts and hunters. Although
we acknowledged that some hunt supporters might object in principle to ads for an organisation such as the HSA, we did not
consider that such advertising was likely to cause serious or widespread offence.

Furthermore,
because we considered that consumers would understand that the claims in the ads related to illegal hunting specifically,
rather than to hunts or hunters in general, we also concluded that ads (a), (b) and (c) had not unfairly denigrated hunts
and hunters.

On this point, we investigated ads (a), (b) and (c) under CAP Code clauses 5.1 (Decency)
and 20.1 (Denigration) but did not find them in breach.

2. Not upheld

We considered that the claim ... a whopping 75% of the population want to see hunting with hounds remain a criminal
activity" implied that a representative survey of the UK population had recently been carried out to gauge support for
the continuation of a hunting ban. We noted the claim was based on the results of an independent survey of 2003 adults, taken
shortly before the online promotion appeared, which showed that 75% of those polled believed that fox hunting with hounds
should remain illegal. We concluded that Lush had substantiated the claim and that it was therefore not misleading.

On this point, we investigated ad (c) under CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation) and 7.1 (Truthfulness), but did
not find it in breach.

3. Upheld

We considered
that the claims "Despite the Hunting Act taking effect ... organised hunts around the country are still chasing and killing
foxes" in ad (a), "THE HUNTS ARE STILL AT IT! ... Unfortunately there are still hunters who are intent on breaking
the law ..." in ad (b) and "Since the Hunting Act came into force in 2005 there has been widespread breaking of
the law by foxhunts" in ad (c), along with repeated references in the ads to hunts breaking the law, would be understood
by consumers to imply that some hunts were regularly and intentionally breaking the law. We also considered that those claims
were objective claims capable of substantiation.

We noted that Lush had offered to provide testimonials
from people who had witnessed hunts breaking the law. However, we understood that the CAP Code stated that testimonials alone
did not constitute substantiation for a claim and that opinions expressed in them must be supported, where necessary, with
independent evidence of their accuracy.

We noted the pledge on the Hunting Declaration website
and newspaper articles that reported alleged breaches of the law, which Lush had supplied as evidence for the claims. However,
we understood that the Hunting Declaration website had not been updated since 2004 and that the newspaper articles were dated
2006, soon after the Hunting Act came into force. We considered that that evidence was not sufficiently robust to support
the claims that hunts were intentionally and frequently breaking the law. We therefore concluded that the claims had not been
substantiated and were misleading.

We considered that the claims "... police have stated it's not a priority to enforce the law and have left
the hunts to continue their blood sport with little fear of prosecution", "Until the law is tightened up and properly
enforced ..." and "Hunt saboteur groups go out ... and do the job Westminster and the police have failed to do"
in ad (a), "Please do your bit by actively enforcing the law of the land ... other animals cannot be safe until you make
the commitment to take action" in ad (b), and "police are not making an enforcement a priority, so for hunts, it's
business as usual", "It's disgraceful that the Hunt Saboteurs Association ... are obliged to enforce a law ..."
and "... usually police don't collect evidence or prosecute hunts ... If police got more involved in enforcing the
act [sic] ... a lot fewer animals would suffer" in ad (c) implied that the law was not being properly enforced by the
police. Whilst we acknowledged that the ad (c) also stated that "many people have been prosecuted under the new law",
we did not consider that that statement alone countered the overall impression created by ad (c) that the Hunting Act was
not being properly enforced.

We understood that, because the Hunting Act was the law of the land,
the police had a duty to enforce it and that the ACPO guidance suggested that they would do so proportionately and according
to priorities. We also understood that a number of prosecutions had been instigated since the passing of the Hunting Act.
We recognised that, for a number of reasons, there might be difficulties in gathering evidence of illegal fox hunts, but we
also noted that we had not seen evidence to suggest that, if the police were in possession of such information, that they
would not enforce the law. We therefore concluded that on this point the ads were misleading.

We noted ad (c) explained that the Hunting Act outlawed the chasing and
killing of foxes with packs of dogs and whilst it was legal to hunt with hounds, it was illegal to use those hounds to chase
and kill wildlife. We also noted ad (a) referred to hunting and killing foxes with dogs as a breach of the Hunting Act, and
explained that saboteurs were needed to monitor and sabotage those instances of illegal hunting. We considered that it was
clear that ads (a) and (c) referred to the illegal hunting of foxes with hounds in particular, and concluded that consumers
were unlikely to believe they implied that all forms of hunting with hounds was illegal.

On this
point, we investigated ads (a) and (c) under CAP Code clause 7.1 (Truthfulness) but did not find them in breach.

6. Upheld

We understood that the 2000 Burns Report
was an independent, comprehensive inquiry into the issues surrounding hunting and, in the absence of more recent research,
we considered it to be an authoritative report on the subject. We noted the Report quoted the CA and MFHA confirming that
foxhounds were often put down when they were no longer useful to a hunt, which at the time was estimated to be around 3,000
hounds a year. We therefore considered that the claims "Hunting hounds usually lead short lives and are often killed
... when they are no longer useful" in ad (a) and "When hounds are no longer useful to the hunt, they are usually
killed ..." in ad (c) were unlikely to mislead.

We also noted the newspaper interview from
1992 and details of the HSA reported incident from 1997 provided by Lush. However, we did not consider that anecdotal evidence,
which was also dated, was sufficiently robust substantiation to support the claims that hounds were fed back to the pack when
their hunting lives were over. Because we had not seen evidence to support those particular claims, we concluded that they
were misleading.

We
noted ads (a) and (c) invited consumers to become involved in direct action by joining the HSA, supporting them either financially
or by becoming a hunt saboteur and described the kind of activities they undertook as part of their campaign. We understood
that Lush defined "direct action" as action used to obtain demands, but we considered that that in itself did not
necessarily suggest violent means. We noted there were no descriptions of violent acts in the ads, and that ads (a) and (c)
referred to using "peaceful means to protect wild animals" and "non-violent means to protect hunted animals"
respectively. We therefore did not consider that the ads suggested that violence would be used to achieve the HSA's aims,
or that such acts would be required by joining or supporting the HSA. Whilst we acknowledged that the actions described in
the ads, such as using hunting horns or harmless sprays to cover the fox's scent, could be disruptive, we did not consider
that they would be regarded as violent activities by most people. We therefore concluded that ads (a) and (c) did not condone,
or were likely to provoke, violence.

On this point, we investigated ads (a) and (c) under CAP
Code clauses 2.2 (Social responsibility), and 11.1 (Violence and anti-social behaviour) but did not find them in breach.

8. Not upheld

We noted the videos were not dated, but
nonetheless understood that they were all filmed after the passing of the Hunting Act. However, we considered that, because
the videos were illustrative of the kind of action the hunt saboteurs were currently involved with, consumers were unlikely
to be misled by the omission of the dates of when they were filmed.

We also noted some of the
photographs were taken before the Act was passed, but because we understood that they were also illustrative of activities
currently undertaken by hunt saboteurs, we did not consider that they were likely to mislead consumers about the kind of action
taken by the hunt saboteurs, the reaction from hunt supporters and riders, or the outcome of a hunt. We therefore concluded
that the videos and photographs were not misleading.

On this point, we investigated ad (c) under
CAP Code clauses 7.1 and 7.2 (Truthfulness) but did not find it in breach.

9. Not upheld

We noted the claims that hunting with hounds played an insignificant role
in the control of fox numbers, in ads (a) and (c) were based on the conclusions of independent scientific research carried
out for the Burns Report and also by further subsequent research. We therefore considered that the claims had been substantiated
and concluded that they were unlikely to mislead.

On this point, we investigated ads (a) and
(c) under CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation) and 7.1 (Truthfulness) but did not find them in breachThanks to Peter B for this information.

BOYCOTT ALL NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS FOR TWELVE MONTHS, IN PROTEST AT THEIR VINDICTIVE
CAMPAIGN AGAINST OUR BELOVED FOXES, AND THOSE OF US WHO LOVE THEM.

A very beautiful and moving tribute - well worth a visit. And although it was not Kyouken singing, I
felt she did a good job of using some of our film footage (that was used on Judi's Song) to
great effect. Kyouken is a very compassionate girl and for one so young, I must say she's a really
talented film maker. Thankyou Kyouken, for this lovely film.visit KyoukenOkami's channel

LIB DEM'S SELL OUT OUR WILDLIFESo there you have it. A sell
out of our wildlife to their Tory masters. A 'compromise' to facilitate the re-introduction of barbarism.If Mr Clegg and his Tory party Mk2 had any concern or moral standing about this they would have said no but instead
they went ahead and agreed to a vote.

As I predicted before the election, Clegg and the Liberals would dance
to the Tory tune on hunting as they are doing on much else.They are a wholly owned subsidiary of the Tories and
their bloodsports allies.

Please join Brian May's SAVE ME campaign and help save our wildlife.Help us to spread the word by getting every single one of your family, friends and colleagues to sign up to the SAVE
ME pledge. We need more people to stand up and be counted. This is a fight to stop barbaric hunting with dogs being brought
by the new Prime Minister, David Cameron, who has pledged to overturn this very hard fought for ban as soon as possible.All we want is for everyone who cares about animals, to add their names, and to say NO to the Tories bringing
back killing with dogs/hounds. It will cost you nothing, but I promise, it will make you feel really good about
yourself.Thanks,Judi

Fox hunting repeal under threat
after coalition talksCaroline StocksFarmers Weekly19 May 2010Conservative plans to reintroduce fox hunting appear
to be under threat after David Cameron was forced to water down plans to repeal the ban.

The Prime Minister came to a compromise with Liberal Democrat leader Nick
Clegg over plans to abandon the hunting ban following policy negotiations on Tuesday (18 May).

It is understood the issue had threatened to become a sticking point between the two parties in
the coalition government.

The Conservatives' rural
manifesto had vowed to give MPs a free vote on whether the ban should be lifted based on their personal views rather than
an official party line.

But with the Liberal Democrats
having previously opposed plans to repeal the ban, Mr Cameron was forced to renege slightly following the talks.

MPs will now have the chance to vote on a parliamentary motion
later in the year on whether to hold a free vote on the ban.

The
free vote will only happen if the majority of MPs support the motion, but it is unclear wither MPs will back it.

If the Conservatives had won an outright majority in the election
then it was expected the ban would be lifted.

Based
on party loyalties, however, the motion would fail to get passed as only three Labour MPs and 18 Lib Dems had previously voted
to legalise hunting.

The news will come as a blow
to many farmers and landowners who had backed the Conservatives on the party's promise to allow a free vote on the ban.

The party had long pledged to work to repeal the Labour Party's
ban, which came into effect in 2005.

Cameron is now Prime Minister, God help us! This fox hunter, deer shooter has crept
into power and will no doubt want to reward his cruel hunt supporters with a return to barbaric hunting. These people
gave millions in donations to the Conservative party to help them fight and win this election. Billionaire Lord
Ashcroft, was one of them, and he is going to want his money's worth. William Hague an avid supporter of
hare coursing was the one who helped get Ashcroft his peerage back in 2002.All these hunt thugs care about
is getting their legal right to torture animals to death again. They don't give a toss about the economy. And they obviously
haven't suffered monetary problems as a result of a Labour Government, otherwise how come they've been able
to give millions to Cameron to fight the election?We compassionate folk have a huge fight on our hands
- we cannot and we will not allow hunt criminals to get their jollies off killing animals for fun again. This
would show Britain up as an immoral, bloodthirsty country that is still being ruled over by the rich, corrupt and
powerful.Let's take this fight all the way - our wildlife deserves our protection. And let's not forget, corruption
wherever we find it should stamped on and stamped out!!The most disturbing thing about the Lib Dems decision
to cosy up with the Tories, is that many people including many animal rights people voted for them because of their
commitment to animal welfare, and ofcourse their promise to safe guard the hunt ban and even to strengthen it. If Nic
Clegg reneges on this, then his party will get even less support next time around from the electorate. In fact it could all
but destroy the Liberal Democrats.Prime Minister David Cameron is 100% pro-hunt. So let's make sure we fight even
harder to expose his pro-hunt agenda. It won't be too long before we in Wales are heading for the Welsh Assembly
elections. Let's make sure we only vote for compassionate AM's of whichever party. In other words anti-cull,
anti-hunt candidates. This is one fight we cannot afford to lose. Judi

GULLIBLE BRITISH PUBLIC & DIRTY MEDIA PLOT!! The savages have taken
control!

I would like to thank all those who voted for Chris Ruane, our Labour
Party candidate who defeated Tory candidate Matt Wright with a good majority. I would also like to extend congratulations
to Labour's anti-hunt candidates Mark Tami, Ian Lucas and David Hanson for their outstanding success.

Labour in Wales did really well, considering the dirty media plot that has been demonising
Labour since the ban was made law.

The English are obviously a gullible lot - taken in by
a millionaire fox hunter. It won't just be the foxes screaming as they get their guts ripped out by hounds,
Cameron will rip the guts out of this whole country in more ways that one. Lets just make sure that he doesn't
get his way on civil liberties, because it will make criminals of decent compassionate anti-hunt people.

WAAC delivered in excess of 17,000 anti-hunt leaflets door to door and I like to think that animal
lovers and those appalled by Cameron's plan to overturn the hunting act, contributed to Chris Ruane's overall
success and that of Mark and Ian.

It's been a really tough fight for WAAC in
North Wales, and we still have a massive uphill struggle to keep the ban and to stop Cameron from rewarding
his hunting (criminals) supporters with a repeal.

But we will do everything within our
power to make it known to the wider public the truth about Cameron's rise to power and the hunt's blood money
that went into funding his election campaign.

Killing with dogs is a savage and cruel sport
and should never again be allowed to happen with the blessing of any government

I
once read that a nation can be judged by how it treats its animals - Cameron is now Prime Minister of Britain - a cold and calculating man, who
for recreation, enjoys killing animals. In other words, we are now being ruled over by a savage in Britain.
And it won't just be the animals who will be badly treated if he gets his way, it will be people too - even
those poor fools with very little money who stupidly voted Tory.

It looks like
Winter could be here for a long time to come - get ready for real poverty, the ruling class has taken back control
from the gullible poor. Judi HewittMatt Wright the Tory Candidate tried to
get the police to have us removed 'from outside' the polling station. When that didn't work, his
aide tried to say my banner had an upsetting image. Then they tried to say I couldn't show David Cameron's
(airbrushed) face. Matt Wright showed total arrogance when he refused to answer any emails I sent to him over
a very lengthy period (six months). I stood up to him at a public meeting in Rhyl just a few days earlier, where I informed
the public of his stance on the hunting issue, and how he supported a free vote (that I've no doubt he would
have used to overturn the ban) the only protection foxes, deer and hares have ever had from a goverment.Good riddance
Mr Wright! You were soundly beaten and 'rightly' so!' Don't come back!We got lots of support from members
of the public in agreement with us - the only ones to complain were the Tory party and one or two of their supporters
- an old couple who drove past to go into the polling station. They put their car window down and said gruffly "Go
away". Obviously these miserable old people haven't yet heard that we are now live in a Democratic country
where people are supposed to have freedom of speech.Judi

SONG FOR THE FOXESWords & music by
Roger Burke - Sung by singer turned activist Judi Hewitt

Daniel Kawczynski is the REAL
face of Cameron's so-called 'modern' conservatism! See news report at link below which includes segment of the
Vote OK video.

I warned
people back in 2005 that the first election Cameron fought as head of the Tory party would be the one where all the plans
of the hunting fraternity came together.

I was told by some
people in our movement that I was a maverick and that the Tories would never touch it. We are now one week away from
a real danger of these people having all their objectives fulfilled.

Please help spread the message in the remaining days wherever you can..Cameron WILL re-legalise bloosports!

ChrisI couldn't agree more Chris! A very worrying time for those of us trying to stop cruel Cameron and
his top men (all avid lovers of hunting) from overturning the barbaric 'sport' of killing using dogs. And if you believe the polls, it's hard to believe that the public are being taken in by this blood-sports fanatic! Do
they really believe that this Tory party are going to make them richer? Dream on - he's there because the blood-sports
sadists wanted him there!!!! The C/A have used the press to great effect! For this they should be congratulated! Between
them, they have systematically dismantled Labour and all because they could not stand the thought that the public had said
'no' to their vile fun. It's a national disgraceand the public will be just as much to blame as Cameron if hunts are once again allowed to set a
pack of dogs on to a terrified animal for the SHEER FUN of seeing it torn apart by a pack of dogs baring snarling, gnashing
teeth!!!!!!I'm heartbroken that this could soon be business as usual for thug hunts so I'm stating here and
now that I will never recognise hunting as legal again, and I personally will do all that is in my power to
try to spare a few foxes at least from the brutes who have consistently broken the law and could soon
be rewarded by the Tories for it! I don't want to be a hunt sabatuer, but I could soon find myself trying to disrupt
hunts.I will also be checking out land - all land that is hunted over to look for artificial earths (hunts leaving
carcasses around an earth to encourage foxes to breed).There is no way it will ever be business as usual for
hunts - they are too despised now by many people. After all, the truth is out about fox, deer and hare hunting.Judi

continue the review of wildlife crime legislation including the Hunting Act's code of practice to give animals appropriate protection

stop the use of barren cages for gamebirds

consider banning
snares.

In addition, the manifesto was a great deal toned down in its
support for shooting (one sentence about 'responsible shooting' only with none of the style of language
of previous election manifestos) and even having the words 'consider banning snares' will upset the shooting
lobby a great deal.

This is all
evidence that we are making a lot of progress on these matters and further evidence (if any were needed) of how absolutely
essential it is we get a Labour government back in.

IMPORTANT
MESSAGE FROM OUR COLLEAGUE, CHRIS GALEDear all,

I am delighted that today my party, Labour, has launched a comprehensive manifesto (attached) on green
issues which includes some very important animal welfare commitments. All this would be wrecked
if we get a Tory government and the Liberals cannot be trusted on animal welfare, along with much else.

It was worth the wait for this document and it includes a major development, not only
a commitment to ban wild animals in circuses (opposed by the Tories) but a commitment to review the Hunting Act code of
practice.

'In the next Parliament we will ban cages for game birds and wild animals in

circuses. We will continue the review of wildlife crime legislation, including the

The gamekeepers exemption in the Hunting Act is something many of us have long called for the removal of.This
would seal the fate of the hunters who exploit this loophole.This manifesto commitment to review the Hunting Act provisions
and tighten it up is a major milestone. The Prime Minister,Ed Miliband and Hilary Benn have shown clear and decisive leadership
on these matters. We would have none of this progress and commitment to continue to improve animal welfare without a Labour
government.

IT
IS ABSOLUTELY VITAL THAT WE SECURE A FOURTH TERM LABOUR GOVERNMENT!

Chris

"At least 75 per cent of Britons are on our side. That's about 45
million people. The only hard thing is getting them all to realise what is happening, in the 3 weeks left before Election
Day. If we can just harness the power of the great majority of animal lovers in this country we CAN still make a difference.
We are in the right. That helps too." Brian May

PLEASE REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT (CLICK ON THE BANNER BELOW TO TAKE YOU TO SITE)-THIS IS A HUGELY
IMPORTANT CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE HUNT BAN LAUNCHED BY WORLD RENOWNED ROCK GUITARIST AND SCIENTIST BRIAN MAY.

PLEASE FORWARD FAR AND WIDE TO ALL YOUR CONTACTS AND ASK THEM TO REGISTER THEIR SUPPORT ON THE
SITE AND TO FORWARD ON THE LINK TO ALL THEIR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES.

This from 1998. You will see the real face
of the hunting fraternity in the editorial (reported below in The Independent at the time) in the terrierman magazine 'Earth
Dog-Running Dog'.

This is the disgusting and debased bloodsports
fraternity. These same obnoxious and violent people are the same ones who are at this moment stuffing envelopes and delivering
leaflets for the Tory party across the marginal seats.

Note
the magazine was a trade member of the British Field Sports Society which we all know was the forerunner of the Countryside
Alliance.

Chris

------------------------------

Country
mag's racist slur on black MP

Posted by The Independent-1998

The leading article
in the Earth Dog-Running Dog publication criticises the MP, an opponent of fox hunting, for being "typical of her species",
and claims people living in her East London seat are "drug abusers", "muggers" and "scroungers".

The magazine proclaims itself to be the house journal of terrier
men who are an integral part of fox hunts, and those who hunt with lurcher dogs. The magazine carries the logo of the BFSS.

Editor David Harcombe, who wrote the editorial, says he has no regrets. A terrier man with the Cwrtycadno fox hunt in mid-Wales, he said: "I resent Oona King.
She is the daughter of some immigrant ... telling us what to do. What right has she got to criticise the people of this country?
How dare she attack us when her and her kind are always asking for special privileges for minorities?"

Ms King, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, had appeared on Question Time when she spoke against hunting. Mr Harcombe,
the founding editor of the magazine, wrote in his editorial: "Unfortunately she is typical of her species. If she really
wants to dictate then let her tell her drug- abusing constituents what to do ... when I was in the forces many years ago ...
I often passed through her constituency late at night, on the Tube - could I do that now in safety without the very real risk
of being mugged, assaulted, or even murdered?

"I am British and proud of it. We ... are being
eroded by all-comers descending on our land and taking advantage of all we have earned for ourselves. They claim 'rights'
and then tell us that we have no rights."

Mr Harcombe said the magazine has a circulation
of about 4,000. It has trade membership of the BFSS.

Ms King said: "I am appalled by this
outburst. I am sure the majority of decent, law-abiding people living in the countryside will be equally appalled. In politics,
you learn to accept criticism and even personal insults, but this description of the people living in Bethnal Green and Bow
... is beneath contempt."

VIXEN & HER CUBS KILLED BY LLANBRYNMAIR HUNTA vixen and her cubs were cruelly killed by a local hunt last week (April 3rd
2010) on a hillside known as Newydd Fynyddog (about 14 miles south of Machynlleth) in Mid Wales. My courageous colleague
Keith Hartley, who witnessed the atrocity, albeit through binoculars, was kind enough to provide the above photo's
of the murdered vixen, and the earth where she and her cubs were sadistically killed.The police did eventually
respond, but it took three calls to get them to the scene. The delay meant that this evil scum had time to put their dogs
in to the earth to flush out the frightened vixen and rip apart her terrified cubs. The
vixen was shot after she fled the earth and her remains were left at the scene.I am calling on anyone
in and around the area to contact me, if they feel they can either help out or monitor these sick people. The local huntsman in the area is Mr John Corfield, but it's not absolutley clear whether this man was
one of those responsible. However, this hunt are known to use a white Ford Transit van which was at the
scene - the police did take their details, so you can draw your own conclusions. Please complain
to the hunt Secretary Edward Evans, Tel 01650 521212 to ask why they are 'seemingly' still killing
foxes despite the ban. Please keep your complaints polite.

I'd just like to
add - what kind of mindset do these people have? How do they sleep at night knowing that their victims are lying alone in
the dark, blooded, cold and lifeless? Because no decent human being could ever do to an animal what these barbarous sub
humans find so easy. They torture defenceless animals to death without a thought! These awful people also have
no idea of the effect their perverted pleasure has on decent compassionate people. God damn them!!

Please go onto the following site and send emails
to your local parliamentary candidates. We are only a few weeks away and we need them to know that people who care deeply
for animals are important would be voters

BATTLE TO KEEP THE BANIf we win this battle to keep the ban, it will be
because a few very dedicated individuals have put everything they have into fighting against the Cameron threat! Like
WAAC, I'm sure there are other very small organisations like mine with just one or two individuals doing the
lions share, and I can tell you it can take its toll!But what really gets my back up are those supporters in groups
who claim they really care about animals but most of the time prefer to put trivial commitments before the most
significant threat to the hunt ban. We are within weeks of an election and still some people are dragging their
feet!!But to the few who are putting their very souls into this fight, I say thankyou! You are the ones who will
win for the animals - the others just pay lip service. No doubt I will receive some stick for this from people feeling
a little guilty, but I'm all for speaking the truth and if people don't like it - tough! It had to be said!!So come on, this is no dress rehearsal, this is crunch time! Let's get out there and show the Tories, Plaid Cymru and
all those other so called public servants who think killing for fun is okay, that it's damn well not okay!!Let's win this battle for our foxes, deer and hares, and who knows we could even win the war. Judi

BRITAIN AT CROSSROADS-SIX WEEKS AWAY FROM VICTORY OR CALAMITY FOR
OUR WILDLIFE AND COMPASSIONATE VALUES

SIX WEEKS TO SAVE OUR WILDLIFE FROM CAMERON

There are now just six weeks left
until we face an election which will define the future for animal welfare in this country and our status in the world.

If David Cameron becomes Prime Minister it
will be the equivalent of the Countryside Alliance being given the keys to Downing Street. The Tory leader and his henchmen would unleash a war on our wildlife and all the progress we have made
will be swept away.

We could be just six weeks away from Countryside Alliance Chief Executive Simon
Hart becoming a Tory MP.

We could be just six
weeks away from the cruel and the cowardly popping the champagne corks as their long planned smashing of the Hunting
Act becomes reality.

The Tories would repeal the Hunting Act and also introduce a slaughter of badgers across England.

PLEASE DO WHATEVER
YOU CAN IN THESE REMAINING DAYS TO HELP STOP THIS CALAMITY.

There are seats in every region where the majority over the Tories of the sitting anti-hunt
MP is very slim.

PLEASE HELP THESE CANDIDATES WITH WHATEVER TIME YOU CAN SPARE.

Please also remember
that a vote for fringe and minor parties like the Greens will simply help the hunters and mean the loss of
anti-hunting MPs and their replacement with pro-hunt Tories

SIX WEEKS TO STOP THE CALAMITY-SIX WAYS TO HELP

6 WAYS
TO HELP

Help now to deliver leaflets for your local anti-hunt MP in
a marginal seat and help with other tasks when the election is called

Write
a letter to your local and regional newspapers highlighting Cameron's repeal plans

Organise or take part in a peaceful demonstration when Cameron or other Tory figures are visiting your
town or region

Visit the excellent IFAW website where you can contact your candidates direct and download a poster

Take
part in radio phone ins when the election is being discussed

Attend hustings
events where you can quiz local candidates and highlight the cruel Tory agenda

WE KNOW THE WHOLE CRUEL TRUTH ABOUT HUNTING WITH DOGS, BUT FOR THOSE WHO DON'T BUT
WHO WANT TO FIND OUT - THEN PLEASE VIEW THE FILM FOOTAGE ATTACHED.Be warned
- it contains horrific and graphic images of hunt cruelty.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtLEcInu9Us

Although muddy, the fox was a young male, that had been disembowelled and the tail taken,
and still warm when filmed.

LETTER FROM 'ANIMAL'
IN PORTUGAL

Dear Friends,I hope
this message finds you well. As some of you might know, in the end of the past month, the Portuguese Government, through the
Ministry of Culture, has created a new department dedicated to Bullfighting. One may think: “in a country where the
museums are falling apart, the theatres receive ridiculous budgets to maintain their employees, where culture has a shocking
lack of support, why on Earth would that country’s Government “invest” on such activity, giving it such
importance, that even a department has been created?”. The answer is: The new Minister of Culture, Mrs. Gabriela Canavilhas,
is herself, a bullfighting lover. How neutral this Government is, one may ask. Well, the community is shocked, these recent
news have received lots of media coverage, debates, the polemic is installed. The political situation in Portugal is, in this
exact moment, very fragile, and we believe it’s the exact time for the citizens to show their power. Having said this, and as much as we know that this invitation comes in short notice,
we urge you to participate in this event, supporting ANIMAL and the animals. The event will consist in a march that goes from
the Lisbon bullring to the Parliament. It will be an animal protection march, with a very special anti-bullfighting angle.
If your group is able to participate, please contact me for further
information. Your presence is very important to give put some international pressure, and to emphasise the global work against
such barbarity.I apologise for my messy English and thank you in
advance.Kind regards,Rita Rita SilvaPresidente da Direcção===========================Tm: (00 351) 96 132 08 18E-mail: rita.silva@animal.org.pt===========================ANIMALAnimal.org.ptApartado 241401251-997
Lisboa | PortugalFaça HOJE mesmo um donativo à ANIMAL
e, ao fazê-lo, torne possível o trabalho vital que a ANIMALdesenvolve
diariamente em defesa dos animais.Por favor, contacte-nos para saber como.«Os animais do mundo existem pelas suas próprias razões. Não foram
feitos para os humanos, assim como os negros não foram feitos para os brancos nem as mulheres foram criadas para os
homens.» -- Alice Walker

Betty Lee from Clwyd Badger Group, Mold co-ordinator
Hugh Roberts and Judi Hewitt founder of Wales Against Animal Cruelty, joined hundreds of people in Cardiff to protest
outside the Welsh Assembly, against the badger cull which is expected to start this April.

The organisers of this rally did a brilliant job to get so many people to stand up for the innocents about to be
massacred. The main speaker was John Evans from 'Save the Badger' who did a great job, but there were also speakers
from various other major animal welfare organisations, including VIVA, Wildlife Trust, Badger Trust and
Animals Count. There were even some land owners speaking out which included organic farmers. All were
adamant that killing badgers was the wrong approach to tackling bTB.

We believe that the
massacre of these innocent animals is being undertaken because the majority of the farming industry are reluctant to take
responsibility for their own farming failures. We also believe that bTB is very profitable to farmers.

Campaigners are also concerned at the rumours that some members of the British Association for Shooting and
Conservation, BASC (hobby shooters) have been employed by WAG and are already in training for this
gruesome slaughter. Some say it is being undertaken on a site in North Wales in preparation for the killings to start
in Pembrokeshire (South West Wales) this April.

It's worrying that badger cubs born
later than others, will be too young to fend for themselves, and so will be left to die slowly in their setts. There's
no hard and fast rules that says all cubs will be independent by the time the killings are expected to start, in
about three weeks time.And so the terrible massacre of our lovely badgers is about to start - and all because we have
an ignorant group of polititians who wouldn't know the truth if it came up and bit them on the backside.Let's
all make sure these stupid, self serving so called AM's (formerly farmers, councillors or God knows what else)
are voted out in 2011.

CAMERON AT CONFERENCE IN LLANDUDNOMarch 6th 2010.

Wales Against Animal Cruelty took their fight directly to
David Cameron at his party conference in Llandudno. Our message was clear, we do not want a return to sadistic cruelty
in the name of sport.

If David Cameron gets the keys to number 10, it will roll back our fight
for wildlife for decades to come. Basically, it will be a return to the dark ages. It will once again be legal to
torment animals to a horrible death for the gratification of a minority who just want to abuse them for
fun. How can any party call themselves progressive and compassionate (as the Tories have) yet want a return
to barbaric killing with dogs?

This is the best animal welfare act ever brought in by any government and
the leader of the Conservatives, David Cameron wants to reverse a very hard fought for ban on cruelty. It's enough
to make you despair!

However we did get to see David Cameron, who went by us in
a flash. And even though it was only for a split second, it was long enough to see his face go red with anger when he
saw our banners and decided to ignore our questions. All we really saw of him was his disappearing back.

The Tories are trying very hard not mention the hunting act, but I believe their silence speaks
volumes. It tells me that they know full well that most people would be appalled to discover that Cameron wants to overturn
this animal welfare act.

This is why we are so determined to get to as many voters
as possible before the election.

QUOTE FROM THE RT REVEREND DOMINIC WALKER OGS, Bishop of Monmouth"I
used to hunt myself...I can remember seeing a fox killed...it's stomach was torn apart. It screamed. It was a terrible
sight. And although they tried to keep the younger members of the hunt back, we saw what had happened and I was told this
was not untypical." In other words, this was a regular occurrence!!!

WAAC TAKE TO THE STREETS OF BETWS Y COEDCampaigners from Wales
Against Animal Cruelty took more signatures, this time in Betws Y Coed, whilst campaigning against the Tory
threat to the hunt ban. David Cameron has pledged to get rid of the hunting act, which comes as no surprise since Mr Cameron
has a love of blood sports. He and his wife are fox hunters and Mr Cameron also likes deer shooting.

Since
starting this campaign last Autumn we have accumulated just over11,000 signatures
from all around North Wales. This figure should continue to rocket in the coming weeks as we continue our
campaigns throughout towns in North and Mid Wales.

We have also been doing door to door
leafleting and so far we have completed thirteen towns and villages.

.We're hopeful we can keep
this ban with the help of the British public.

WAAC will continue to fight to close loopholes in the hunting
act. We have already written to Hilary Benn with a number of suggestions that would put a stop to extremist hunts
who think they are above the law.

We've also been urging the public to check out our website to
see for themselves the truth about hunting with hounds and also to get the latest news from around the UK.

Today I am a launching the final phase of my e-mail campaign in the
run up to the election which is now just weeks away.

We are approaching a critical crossroads and there is no room for half-hearted
approaches or holding back on taking the fight to the Tories.

I am sending this e mail to the
General Secretary of the Labour party and Hilary Benn and asking them to put the excellent and hardhitting new IFAW IN ACTION video on every Labour website, the main Labour site, MPs websites, the Labour You Tube page and so on.

This video
shows Cameron's barbaric Britain, what he would bring back to our countryside. It
is this slogan I want to hammer home in these remaining weeks. This is the last chance saloon for our wildlife and civilised
values and we must show exactly what it is that Cameron represents and exactly what the
consequences for our wildlife would be of a Tory election win.

I am also with this e-mail urging Labour
officials to get this video link and stills from the film into supportive newspapers such as the Daily Mirror and to
ask that Labour PPCs do a press release alerting the public to the contents.

I sent IFAW a letter about this yesterday. Sadly scenes like this are still repeated daily across the
UK due to the weak legislation. I received a debrief from the CPS in January after they dismissed yet another complaint
- backed up with video footage of a fox kill. The lawyer informed me that to prove 'intent' I would probably
need footage of a hunter shouting 'kill the animal', otherwise it will be just an accident!! Its a real shame
that IFAW and LACS appear to be content with weak legislation and that they failed to endorse the campaign by POWA to tighten
up the hunting act by removing the word 'intent. But hey.....as long as the donations come in.

It seems mad to me that under this legislation terrierwork is still legal. In the words of a Mid
Wales terrierman to me "the labour party didn't ban terrierwork, they legalised it!" Hence look at magazines
like earth dog running dog, etc and you will see page after page of foxes being killed by terriers.....all protecting game
birds as per the legislation!!Anti-hunt campaigner.

Hunting ban and Tory repeal featured on Politics Show West today, see link below

STARTS AT 29 mins 48 SECONDS

Dan Norris MP for Wansdyke did a really good job.

James Barrington of the Countryside Alliance will give you indigestion like anything unpleasant and past
its sell-by date.

BE WARNED, TRAITOR TO WILDLIFE JIM BARRINGTON, ACCUSING
ANTI-HUNT OF BEING CLASS DRIVEN - HE REALLY IS A PRIZE IDIOT!!!

HOW COULD ANY DECENT PERSON WANT TO VOTE TORY OR PLAID CYMRU WHEN THESE PARTIES WANT
TO GIVE HUNT THUGS (LIKE THOSE IN THE FOLLOWING FILMS) A LEGAL RIGHT TO RETURN OUR BEAUTIFUL COUNTRYSIDE INTO THE
BLOOD SPATTERED KILLING FIELDS AGAIN, AND FOR WHAT? SO THAT HUNT SUPPORTERS CAN HAVE THEIR OWN SICK PLEASURE
BACK WITHOUT THE WORRY OF BEING PROSECUTED FOR ANIMAL ABUSE? WHAT KIND OF GOVERNMENT WOULD SAY IT'S OKAY
TO ALLOW SUCH GROSS CRUELTY? WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT 'US' AS A SO CALLED CIVILISED SOCIETY IF WE ALLOW
SUCH A MONSTEROUS GOVERNMENT INTO POWER?

MOST FILM FOOTAGE IS OF ABUSE TO ANTI-HUNT MONITORS
- BUT IF YOU'RE NOT SURE WHAT GOES ON DURING HUNTING, THEN PLEASE BE BRAVE AND VIEW THE FILM FOOTAGE (LOWER
DOWN THE PAGE) SHOWING AN EXHAUSTED FOX BEING CAUGHT AND KILLED BY HOUNDS.

NOTE THAT HOUNDS IN FULL CRY
ARE ON THE SCENT OF A FOX, SO THERE SHOULD BE NO EXCUSES FOR THE HUNTS UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES TO
GO UNPUNISHED. BAYING IS KNOWN IN HUNTING CIRCLES AS HOUNDS 'SINGING'. ONLY THE COLD BLOODED IN SOCIETY
COULD EVER DESCRIBE THE BLOOD CURDLING CRIES OF HOUNDS AFTER A HAPLESS VICTIM, AS SINGING!

New footage of David
Cameron's hunt. These people are the real face of Cameron's Tory party and will be rewarded with the swift re-legalisation
of stag hunting, hare coursing and fox hunting should the Tories win the election.

There
is no such thing as a safe Tory vote if you value compassion, decency and a future for protecting our wildlife
from the cruel and violent in society.

This is the reality of what David Cameron's Tory party represents. You will not see this footage
on TV in the run up to the election because it shows the reality of the people who installed Cameron as leader of the Tory
party in order to ensure hunting will be legalised should the Tories win.

When Cameron
and Nick Herbert talk about hunting they deliberately use language that masks just what it is they support. These films uploaded
by my colleagues (who show incredible bravery in going amongst these thugs) cut through that Tory/Countryside Alliance
double-speak so beloved of the media.

If more people saw just what kind of
people they would be associating with by voting Tory it would damage the Tories immensely.

Clwyd
Badger Group pledges support to new campaign group 'Save the Badger'.The WAG is undemocratic: the public response against the cull must be overwhelming
as just from our areas we know thousands of signatures and emails and a great many letters against the cull have been sent
out. Could we find out just how many of these communications the WAG is going against?The cull is not planned on scientific grounds – as we all know, even the chief vet Christianne Glossop
admits this. Her excuse is that her only interest is to eradicate bTB, not to learn anything.
If she did follow science she should have listened to Prof Bourne! So she neither wishes to listen to best current scientific
advice nor to learn from her planned cull!Eradication of bTB is impossible
except possibly in the very long term and never with current farming practices. CG knows only too well how the tests
miss reactors AND that some farmers are tempted by our generous compensation to actually plan for bTB (Recent case of farmer
injecting cows with dirt to get positive TB result. He may be a tiny minority but the general poor level of animal husbandry
and cattle movements create an impossible task.)Previous badger slaughter in
Britain has never lead to anything like eradication of bTB. The case in Ireland where whole areas have been cleared
of badgers by the horrifically cruel use of snares should be a lesson for all civilised countries. In fact bTB
in 2007 after years of slaughter, far from being ERADICATED, is back up to 2002 levels. Further afield she refers
to New Zealand and destruction of possums (non native) because of bTB and wild boar in Spain as wild life carriers being killed
in bTB areas as some sort of justification for the Welsh cull. Is this relevant to Wales and has bTB been eradicated
there? When in Pembrokeshire, after all the badgers have been eradicated – but the disease
has not – please can the taxpayer have a break. Farmers who then get cattle with bTB SHOULD NOT GET A PENNY OF
COMPENSATION. It could only be bad husbandry, poor testing and illegal movements! (as we have known all along
– and inspite of CG’s best but naive intentions). Finally, the whole business of farm subsidies and compensation which has contributed to a
nose dive in biodiversity (where are our most biodiverse sites? Not farmland! Many brown field sites are far richer
and that is saying something!) and cost the tax payer £billions needs total re-evaluation. Foot and
Mouth, mad cow disease and bTB are but three of dozens of farm stock diseases. The real cost of ‘cheap’
food is hidden, paid for by the tax payer without his/her consent, and not by the customer. And bad husbandry is rewarded!
This should stop.From Betty Lee, Clwyd Badger Group

ANTI HUNT CAMPAIGN HELD IN COLWYN BAY AGAINST PRO
HUNT MP DAVID JONES

Wales
Against Animal Cruelty held a campaign in Colwyn Bay (Saturday, 30th) in protest
at Clwyd West MP David Jones, who supports David Cameron's pledge to overturn the hunt ban.

WAAC Spokesman Graham Marks said, "It's inconceivable that any MP or candidate
would want a return to killing with dogs."

Our
message to the public, please don't vote for anyone who supports a return to cruelty. The ban on
hunting took eighty years to bring about and it terrifies us that we could be heading back to the dark ages. Hunting
has little to do with so called pest control and everything to do with entertainment.

The Countryside Alliance have long used the argument that hunting with
hounds is their human right. They lost that argument in the European Court of Human Rights, but it hasn't stopped
their supporters continually spouting off about a right to kill wildlife.

We have a hard fight ahead of us, and very little time to get our message
out, which is why we will be visiting every town throughout North Wales, leafleting in rural areas and doing
street campaigns in all the major towns, between now and the election.

Subject: FW: New EDM 727 LEGALITY OF HUNT MONITORING

House
of Commons - Early Day Motion The following EDM was tabled on 26 January 2010.

That this House notes with dismay attempts by the Countryside Alliance to subvert the rule of law by claiming
that evidence of illegal hunting collated by monitors working on behalf of organisations such as the League Against Cruel
Sports is illegal under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000;

welcomes the clear
guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service that all such evidence is valid; and further notes and acknowledges the hard work
undertaken by hunt monitors in upholding the Hunting Act 2004 as democratically passed by this House.

Tuesday,
19 January 2010

The Crown Prosecution
Service (CPS) has issued guidance confirming that covert surveillance by animal rights groups should be authorised under the
Regulation

CPS confirm secret filming is unlawful

of Investigatory Powers Act. It has also
confirmed that evidence obtained through unauthorised covert surveillance is in breach of the European Convention on Human
Rights. The new guidance says:

“Where the police are aware of the
intention of the NGO to conduct covert surveillance and intend making use of the surveillance product in the event that it
reveals evidence of a crime, it would be appropriate to seek an authorisation (under RIPA).”

The Association of Chief Police Officers has already made clear in its guidance on the Hunting
Act that the police “rely upon initial evidence gathered by members of the public who are often organised for this purpose”.
The police are also actively seeking the assistance of groups like the League Against Cruel Sports and the International Fund
for Animal Welfare through the Partnership Against Wildlife Crime.

Countryside Alliance Head of Media Tim Bonner
said: “The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act was brought into law to protect people from unjustified intrusion
into their lives. The CPS advice confirms that the statutory bodies involved in bringing prosecutions cannot subvert the Act
by relying on third parties to carry out surveillance which is not authorised.

“The CPS has stated clearly
that gathering such evidence without RIPA authorisation is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights and as a result
those statutory bodies involved in its collection would be open to action under the Human Rights Act. The rural community
does not object to proportional and justifiable investigation of criminal activity, but the covert surveillance carried out
by animal rights groups is neither of these. RIPA and the Human Rights Act provide protection if the state involves itself
in such activity.”

What can anyone expect from the notorious
Countryside Alliance? This organisation with more than a few bloodthirsty hunt thugs are clearly
only interested in bringing back the barbaric so called sport that is killing with dogs. These hunt fanatics
will seemingly do anything to legalise their vile blood-sports; so what's a big fat (warped) lie
to them if it will help defend extremist hunters who want to carry on killing defenceless animals out
of sight of public view - at least that's the impression!

This link takes you to the blog of Geoffrey Woollard, standing as an Independent in Cambridgeshire.

It is notable for his excellent views on hunting which are scattered throughout his blog. Here is an extract from
the first you will come to.

He is Mr Nick Herbert, who is the Conservative 'Shadow' Defra Secretary (and
who makes the right noises, agreeing with Hilary Benn, regarding the need for increased home-grown food production), but whom
I have known since he worked as a junior at Conservative Central Office. I was on a national committee that he served as secretary
and I discovered then that he was less than competent. Indeed, I actually taught him how to write minutes and about how it
was needful to get said minutes out in good time.

Anyway, Master Nick has 'done well' since, but he is
definitely a bête noire for me because, ever since he was a leading light in what became the Countryside Alliance,
he has worked night and day for the retention and then - post the 2004 Hunting Act - the un-banning of fox hunting, hare coursing
and stag hunting. I have a particular hatred for hare coursing, having fought it for the best part of five decades and that
is one of the reasons why I plan to stand at this General Election. There are, of course, several other reasons.

In my opinion, Mr Herbert is too narrow in his known interests to become a Cabinet Minister in Mr Cameron's prospective
government. He is obsessed with blood sports to the point of depravity. I am not saying that he is personally depraved but
participation in the blood sports that I have mentioned is a form of depravity.

WAAC demo (supporting Viva) was held in Denbigh (Friday 22nd
January) in protest at the Welsh Assembly's plan to kill badgers.

Spokesman Graham Marks, for
Wales Against Animal Cruelty (WAAC) said," We want this
Welsh Assembly to know that although we're far from the Senedd, they cannot continue to ignore us.. It's disgusting
that WAG plan to go ahead with their killing programme, despite overwhelming scientific evidence that has
shown culling badgers does not work. This Welsh experiment has nothing to do with science and everything to do with appeasing
the FUW. We believe that It's a cruel cull based on prejudice and superstition. The fact they will start killing
badgers before the Badger Trust's Judicial Review is contemptuous.

We had an excellent reponse from the public which has given us more encouragement to carry on our fight to save
badgers from a senseless inhumane slaughter. It's complete madness to kill these animals when they can be immunised."

During the protest, WAAC had a meeting with pro-cull AM Brynle Williams,
but could find no mutual agreement, apart from both sides admitting that Defra's plan not to microchip
trapped badgers in England and instead paint mark them, is stupid.

Meanwhile WAAC will continue to protest against the badger cull, until AM's who support this extermination
programme are voted out in the 2011 elections."

This film (newly posted with more
to follow) shows the true face of David Cameron's hunt supporters. These are the cruel and
the violent who will have their man in power should the Tories win the election. The hunters are at the centre of the
Tory election machine across the country.

David Cameron is the Countryside Alliance candidate for Prime Minister. He would deliver the re-legalisation
of hare coursing, stag hunting and fox hunting swiftly.

People who engage in debased violence towards sentient creatures for enjoyment could soon be in power
in this country. They would take us back many decades and launch a war on our wildlife and those who seek to defend it.

We must work to stop the Tories taking
power. It is the fight of our lives and one we must win.

Herbert was one of the
founding members of the Countryside Alliance and was formerly Political Officer at the British Field Sports Society.

One
of his quotes during his time at the BFSS....

"From now on we're going to start hunting the
saboteurs"

Should the Tories win the election this bloodsports fanatic will be in charge of
Defra. He is one of Cameron's key bloodsports lieutenants.

If people in the region can organise a peaceful
demonstration outside the venue on the evening of the talk that would be excellent.

Thanks

Chris

Report from Flint & Denbigh protest& Brian May's message of support

See pics from Denbigh
re our protest against the Flint & Denbigh Hunt. I've attached two pics - but the one with the Mayor has to be the
winner. This year he was not part of the hunt ceremony and instead stood with us to have his picture taken.

For once the fox had a say in this years Boxing Day parade.

We
would have had more support, but many people who promised to attend stayed away for fear of reprisals by hunt supporters.
Having said that - there were plenty of people in agreement with us.

Only a handful took leaflets and deliberately
screwed them up throwing them back at us. One elderly hunt supporter stood stony faced and very slowly tore one
of our leaflets up in front of us to make a point. But what really sickened us were the parents of two young
children who were encouraging their kids to remove our banner from a railing. And when they couldn't remove
it, they encouraged them to jump up and down on the part of it that was trailing on the ground.

It took guts for us to stand in the midst of hunt supporters and even more guts to speak out openly through
a megaphone about hunt cruelty.

It felt a bit like David and Goliath, but I'm a firm believer
that good will always overcome evil in the end, so it was worth being intimidated by the odd huntsman.

See Brian May's message
below.

Judi Hewitt's
Boxing Day Speech - for Wales against Animal Cruelty.

I just wanted to voice my support for your personal campaign, Judi. Your speech for Denbigh
is well-judged and entirely convincing ... you speak the truth plainly.

Fox-hunting
is a disgusting, despicable, and ultimately indefensible activity. I applaud you for speaking out. I wish you
luck, and all power to you.

I hope to join you in
this fight in 2010 - in my own peculiar way, but nevertheless with my whole heart.